THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

RIVERSIDE 


FROM   LIBAU   TO   TSUSHIMA 


First  Edition       ....       August,  1906 
Reprinted January,  1907 


:$0%t,O£l 


FROM  LIBAU  TO 
TSUSHIMA 


A  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  VOYAGE  OF  ADMIRAL 

ROJDESTVENSKY'S  FLEET  TO  EASTERN  SEAS, 

INCLUDING  A  DETAILED  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 

DOGGER  BANK  INCIDENT 


BY  THE  LATE 

EUGENE   S.   POLITOVSKY 

Engineer-in-Chief  to  the  Squadron,  who  was  killed  at  the 
Battle  of  Tsushima 


TRANSLATED  BY 

MAJOR   F.   R.   GODFREY,    R.M.L.I. 


NEW   EDITION 


NEW   YORK 

E.    P.    DUTTON    AND    COMPANY 

1908 


PRINTED  BY 

HA2ELL,  WATSON  AND  VINEY,  LD„ 

LONDON  AND  AYLESBURY, 

ENGLAND. 


TRANSLATOR'S    PREFACE 


NjJ  No  detailed  account  of  the  voyage  of  the  Russian 

fleet  to  the  Far  East  has  to  my  knowledge  been 

published.     The  newspapers  occasionally  mentioned 

^V   it  as  being  here  or  there,  and  of  course  its  doings 

in  the  North  Sea  are  a  matter  of  history ;  but  from 

J^the  time  it  left  Tangier  until  it  met  its  doom  at 

Tsushima  it  was  practically  in  oblivion.     By  chance 

\^   this  book  came  into  my  hands,  and  I  thought  it 

would  interest  British  readers. 

Much  has  been  said  in  derision  of  Admiral  Rojdest- 

vensky's  fleet,  but  every  one  must  agree  that  it  was 

no  mean  undertaking  to  have  brought  this  large 

^  fleet  out  to  the  Far  East  from  Russia  and  laid  it 

ry  alongside  the  enemy.    This  was  done,  in  spite  of  the 

^!    difficulties  of  coaling  without  bases  and  of  having 

to  repair  damages  in  the  open  sea.     The  fleet  had 

to  pass  countries  that  were  bound  by  the  laws  of 

neutrality,  and  some  that  were  actually  hostile  to        ^ 


vi  translator's  preface 

it.  It  was  driven  out  of  many  ports  by  the  ships 
of  its  allies.  In  spite  of  all  these  drawbacks,  it 
accomplished  a  tremendous  voyage  with  all  "  its 
units  "  intact. 

That  it  failed  to  win  the  battle  is  in  no  way 
surprising.  A  great  number  of  the  ships  were  useless 
and  obsolete.  The  crews  were  disheartened  by  the 
failures  of  their  comrades  at  Port  Arthur.  The 
beginning  of  the  movements  which  resulted  in  the 
open  mutiny  in  the  Black  Sea  and  in  the  recent 
mutiny  at  Cronstadt  were  developing. 

Finally,  the  spirit  of  the  officers  was  not  of  the 
Nelsonian  standard.  We  find  the  captain  of  the 
cruiser  Ural  flaunting  his  desire  to  surrender  without 
striking  a  blow  for  his  country. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  dates  are  those 
of  the  Old  Style,  thirteen  days  behind  those  of  the 
New  Style,  which  has  not  been  adopted  by  Russia. 


PREFACE 


Eugene  Sigismondovitch  Politovsky,  engineer- 
constructor  of  the  second  deep  sea  fleet  flagship, 
was  born  at  Tashkendon  November  12th,  .1874.  He 
received  his  education  at  the  Emperor  Nicholas  I. 
Naval  Engineering  School,  and  left  it  in  1897. 
Up  to  the  departure  of  the  fleet  for  the  East  he 
served  at  the  Admiralty  at  St.  Petersburg.  He 
went  down  in  his  ship,  the  battleship  Kniaz  (Prince) 
Suvaroff,  in  the  fight  of  May  14th,  1905.  This  diary 
consists  of  extracts  from  his  letters  to  his  wife, 
which  it  must  be  understood  were  not  intended  for 
publication. 

The  diary  is  written  entirely  from  the  personal 
point  of  view  of  the  author.  He  shares  with 
the  human  being  dearest  to  him  everything  that 
occupies  or  interests  him.  He  writes  in  fragments, 
with  detached  sentences,  sometimes  snatching  a  few 
spare  minutes  from  his  duties  for  his  letters.     His 


Vlll  PREFACE 

diary  is  a  full  one.     Scarce  a  day  is  omitted  from 
the  departure  from  Libau  up  to  May  nth. 

Involuntarily,  one  is  impressed  by  the  sincerity 
and  justice  of  the  author's  tone.  As  he  thought,  so 
he  wrote. 

His  style  is  very  simple  and  graphic,  despite  its 
fragmentary  nature. 

The  author  was  a  constructor,  not  a  sailor.  This 
was  his  first  cruise.  His  views  of  all  that  he  saw 
are  those  of  an  independent  person,  bound  by  no 
traditions  or  clannishness.  They  appear  to  be 
absolutely  impartial.  In  addition,  through  his 
position  on  the  staff  he  knew  much  that  remained 
unknown  to  others. 

From  the  very  beginning  he  did  not  believe  in 
success  for  the  Russian  navy.  The  further  the  fleet 
went  the  more  apparent  did  it  become  to  him  that 
it  was  going  on  a  desperate  and  hopeless  mission. 
"  If  you  could  but  imagine  what  is  going  on,"  he 
writes — "  if  it  were  possible  for  me  to  tell  you  exactly 
all  about  it — you  would  be  amazed.  Should  I  live, 
I  will  tell  you  afterwards.  No  !  there  is  no  use  our 
fighting.  Things  have  come  to  such  a  pass  that  I 
can  only  wring  my  hands  and  feel  assured  that  no 
one  can  escape  his  fate,  for  this  is  the  only  possible 
assurance." 


PREFACE  IX 

He  took  his  duty  very  seriously  and  responsibly. 
Damages  to  the  ships,  and  especially  to  the  tor- 
pedo-boats, were  constantly  occurring,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  repair  them  with  self-improvised  means 
under  the  most  trying  circumstances.  For  instance, 
can  you  not  imagine  the  following  scene  ?  A  tor- 
pedo-boat in  the  open  sea  with  a  damaged  rudder. 
Divers  must  be  sent  to  repair  it.  The  swell  is 
tremendous,  the  boat  is  rolling  fearfully,  and  around 
it  are  sharks.  They  lower  the  diver  ;  he  is  knocked 
about  by  the  sea  all  the  time — take  care  that  he  is 
not  permanently  disabled.  They  watch  the  sharks 
and  drive  them  away  with  shots  from  a  rifle.  In 
spite  of  all  these  difficulties  the  repairs  arecompleted. 

Not  one  ship  did  the  fleet  leave  behind,  and 
this  was  in  a  great  measure  due  to  Politovsky. 
Whatever  the  weather,  he  tirelessly  went  from  one 
ship  to  another,  thinking  out  means  of  repair  and 
accommodating  himself  to  the  most  improbable 
and  difficult  circumstances,  and  always  emerging 
from  them  with  honour.  Every  one  remembers 
his  great  work  in  getting  the  battleship  Apraxin 
off  the  rocks  at  Gothland,  where  she  had  struck, 
icebound,  in  the  winter  of  1899. 

With  ships  of  the  Suvaroff  class  he  was  well  ac- 
quainted.    From  1899  he  was  assistant-constructor 


X  PREFACE 

of  the  Borodino,  and  this  was  probably  the  reason 
of  his  appointment  to  the  fleet,  an  appointment 
destined  to  be  fatal  to  him.  How  passionately  he 
dreamed  of  the  arrival  at  Vladivostok  and  of  the 
possibility  of  returning  to  Russia !  Alas !  fate 
decided  otherwise.  He  perished  in  his  prime, 
being  but  thirty  years  old.  Through  his  death 
our  engineer-constructors  have  suffered  a  severe 
loss. 

He  was  talented,  clever,  and  energetic,  with  a 
vast  experience  gained  from  his  cruise.  What  a 
valuable  man  he  would  have  been  in  the  construction 
of  the  new  Russian  fleet ! 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I 

BEGINNING   THE    VOYAGE 

PAGB 

The  Summons — The  Emperor  visits  the  Fleet — Worries 
and  Work — Fear  of  Japanese  Mines — Repairs — 
The  Order  of  St.  Anne — Mishaps — Suspicions  and 
Nerve-strain — On  the  Dogger  Bank — The  Kam- 
chatka "  attacked  " — The  North  Sea  Trawlers — 
The  Aurora  fired  on — The  Ship's  Barber — 
"  Foggy  Albion  " — Crossing  the  Bay — Compli- 
cations— At  Vigo — Protests  from  England         .         i 

CHAPTER    II 

OFF   NORTH-WEST   AFRICA 

Vigo  and  the  Spanish — Chased — An  English  Escort — 
That  Horrid  Britannia  ! — A  Memorial  Service  for 
Alexander  III.  —  Cruisers  —  Tangier  —  Japanese 
Torpedo-boats  at  Hull — The  Suvaroff — Morocco 
and  the  Moors — Rumours  and  Lies — Cutting  the 
Cable — The  Malay  breaks  down — Vessels  in  the 
Squadron — The  Captain  gets  some  Soap  ! — Great 
Heat — Dakar — Those  English  again  ! — Coal  the 
Weakness  —  Sunstroke  — Japanese  Spies  —  The 
Natives — Visiting  the  Fleet — Heat  and  Thirst — 
Whales  sighted — The  Malay  again — Strike  of  a 
Stoker 25 


Xll  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    III 

CROSSING   THE    LINE 

PAGE 

Off  Gaboon — Rats — Wiring  for  News — Requested  to 
leave  by  the  French — Cannibals — Awaking  a  King 
— Photographed  with  Royalty — A  Captain  repri- 
manded —  Libreville  —  Dancing  a  Tam-tam  — 
Andrew  Andrewitch — Crossing  the  Line — How 
they  fast — Great  Fish  Bay — A  Portuguese  Gun- 
boat— Albatrosses — Dysentery — Angra  Pequena — 
News  of  Mukden — English  Possessions  every- 
where— German  Sympathy — Sad  News  from  the 
Front — Visiting  the  Malay — Lights  put  out — 
Rat  Hunting 51 

CHAPTER    IV 

ON   THE    WAY   TO    MADAGASCAR 

Passing  Capetown — A  Steamer  following — A  Furious 
Gale — The  Malay  again  in  Trouble — Fire  on  the 
Suvaroff — Bad  Coal — General  Alarm — Another 
Storm — Madagascar  in  Sight — Sickening  News 
from  Port  Arthur — Hopeless  Darkness — The  Orel 
invaded  by  Jews — A  Swiss  Schooner — St.  Mary — 
Scenery  and  People — The  French  Cordial — Tang- 
tang — Undecipherable  Signals  Japanese — Mysteri- 
ous Signals — The  Esperanza  nervous — Port  Arthur 
surrendered — Christmas — Warships  sighted — Are 
they  Japanese  ? — Mutiny  on  the  Roland — Arrival 
at  Nosi  Be — The  Admirals  meet — Uncertainty  and 
Dissatisfaction 79 

CHAPTER    V 

AT     MADAGASCAR 

Life  in  a  Torpedo-boat — Elephantiasis — Officers  dis- 
charged— Sailors  suffocated — A  Funeral  Service — 


CONTENTS  Xlll 

PAGE 

Further  Tragical  Mishaps — Suvaroff  Shore  Leave 
stopped — A  Snake  in  the  Hay — Requiem  Service 
on  Board  the  Ural — A  Sad  Spectacle — Population 
of  Nosi  Be — Frightened  Oxen — Telegrams  from 
Home — News  of  the  Oleg — The  Kuban  arrives — 
Prickly  Heat — Rumours  of  Return — Luxurious 
but  Useless  Ships — Animals  on  Board — On  Shore — 
Gambling — Blessing  the  Water — The  Rainy 
Season — The  Mad  Ensign — Intense  Heat — Malay 
returns  with  Sick  and  Incapables — Arrest  of 
Mutineers — The  Foreign  Legion — Pianola  Musi- 
cians— Bad  Meat — Shipping  Cattle — Sinking  of  the 
Bengal  Coal  Steamer — Passive  Resistance  .         .108 

CHAPTER    VI 

WAITING    FOR    ORDERS 

Uncertainty — Firing  Practice — Martial  Law  in  Russia 
— Narrow  Escape  from  a  Collision — The  Suvaroff 
flooded — Capture  by  the  Oleg — On  Shore — A 
Supposed  Spy — German  Methods — Playing  for 
High  Stakes — Our  Hopeless  Situation — Wasting 
Money — Man  Overboard — Big  Ships  sighted — 
Internal  Affairs  in  Russia — Rumours  of  Reinforce- 
ments— German  Colliers — Confession  under  Diffi- 
culties— Europeans  at  Nosi  Be — Breakdown  of 
Rezvy — Complaints  of  Local  Governor — Loss  of 
Torpedo-boats — Shore  Leave  stopped — Apathy  and 
Oblivion — A  Narrow  Escape — A  Spy  at  Large — 
Sorting  the  Letters — Visit  from  Another  Spy — 
Admiral  Birilieff  criticised — Waiting  and  wasting 
Time — A  Sad  Anniversary — A  Comedy  of  Ladies — 
Money-changing — The  Barber  in  Difficulties — A 
Humbugging  Frenchman — Cleaning  the  Ships 
— Mysterious  Balloon  —  Court-martial  —  Undis- 
ciplined  Sailors — Rumours  of  Peace   .         .         .  134 


XIV  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    VII 

EVENTS   AT    NOSI    BE 

MM 

A  Nigger  Wedding — Effects  of  Drink — Anxiety  about 
the  Irtish — Quarrels  among  the  Officers — A  Sup- 
pressed Telegram — Bad  News  of  Vladivostok — A 
Dummy  Dirk — Indignation  at  Home  News — 
Good  Work  by  Divers — The  Malagassy  imper- 
tinent— The  Germans  jeering — The  General  Staff 
anathematised — News  about  Mukden — A  Pro- 
phecy— Examining  the  Aurora — Waiting  for  the 
Regina — Signal  for  Departure  .         .         .     .  167 

CHAPTER    VIII 

ACROSS    THE    INDIAN    OCEAN 

Leaving  Nosi  Be — Confusion  on  the  Kamchatka — 
Preparations — The  Regina  and  the  Japanese — A 
Grand  Armada — Fearful  Heat — Various  Break- 
downs— Steaming  without  Lights — A  Star  mis- 
taken for  a  Ship — Cattle  on  Board — Chagos  Archi- 
pelago— Artificer  Krimmer — More  Mishaps — 
Coaling  at  Sea — Look-out  Boxes — Night  Alarms 
— General  Mismanagement — Success  Unlikely — 
More  Deaths — The  Admiral's  Weak  Nerves — 
Guarding  Divers  from  Sharks — Lights  Ahead — 
Reflections  on  the  Outlook — A  Favourable  Current 
— Opportunities  of  Attack — Life  on  Torpedo-boats 
— An  "  Iconoclast  " — An  Unjust  Reprimand — 
Across  the  Equator — Japan's  Advantages — Tow- 
ing Torpedo-boats — Preparations  for  Fighting — 
Officers  Drunk — Opium  Cigarettes — Rats  .         .     183 

CHAPTER    IX 

THROUGH   THE    STRAITS   OF   MALACCA 

Mutiny — More  Mishaps — Dogs — Straits  of  Malacca — 
Imaginary     Torpedo-boats — Will     the     Japanese 


CONTENTS  XV 

PAGB 

attack  ? — Passing  Malacca — No  News  of  the  War 
— Night  Attack  feared — Small  Hope  of  Victory — 
Passing  Anamba — Bound  for  Kamranh — Con- 
stant Fear  of  Japanese — A  Time  of  Alarms — 
More  Deaths 221 

CHAPTER    X 

THE    STAY   AT    KAMRANH 

Arrival  at  Kamranh — Chances  Neglected — Despair — 
Losing  Time — More  Accidents — Meeting  of  Ad- 
mirals and  Captains — Post  Difficulties — A  Goat — 
Cockroaches — Hard  Work  repairing — A  French 
Cruiser — Food  Scarce — Admiral  Folkersham  111 — 
Meeting  of  Engineers — False  News — A  Regrettable 
Incident — Forest  Fires — Foreign  Contempt  for 
Russia — Requested  to  leave  Kamranh — Where  is 
the  Third  Fleet  ? — Two  Colliers  arrested — Fatal 
Errors — Discretion  of  the  English  Press — Phantom 
Submarine 238 

CHAPTER    XI 

DELAYS    AT    VAN    FONG 

Sympathy  of  French  Admiral — Japanese  Spies — Ex- 
pensive Food — The  Russian  System — A  Rat  Bite 
— Squalor — Want  of  Engineers — An  Alarm — 
"  Apes  "  and  "  Anyhows  " — The  Oleg — Prepara- 
tions for  Easter — Officers  usually  Drunk — Easter — 
Prickly  Heat — Expecting  Nebogatoff — Row  on  the 
Orel — Neutrality  a  Farce — Night  Alarms — Buying 
Children — Suspicious  Lights — No  News  of  Nebo- 
gatoff— French  Admiral  as  Poet — No  News  from 
Manchuria — Getting  Cigarettes — The  Annamese 
People — Nebogatoff  in  Sight — Excitement — A 
Good  Post  —  French  Impertinence  —  Poisonous 
Gases — Leaving  Van  Fong 263 


xvi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    XII 

PREPARING   FOR    BATTLE 

PAGE 

Expecting  Torpedo  and  Submarine  Attacks — Delay — 
Signals — Formosa — Coaling — A  Steamer  arrested 
— Love  of  Secrets — A  Possible  Japanese  Scout — 
Contraband  Ships — Preparations  for  Battle — An 
English  Trick — A  Balloon  sighted — No  Sign  of  the 
Japanese — The  Irtish  breaks  down — Hopes  of 
reaching  Vladivostok 293 


NOTE   BY  MADAME   POLITOVSKY        ....      306 

APPENDIX. — OFFICIAL  STATEMENT  OF  THE  RUSSIAN 

LOSSES   IN  THE   BATTLE 307 


FROM  LIBAU  TO  TSUSHIMA 


CHAPTER    I 

BEGINNING  THE   VOYAGE 


August  28th. — Events  follow  each  other  so  fast 
that  they  get  confused  in  the  memory. 

The  return  from  the  club  in  the  morning,  a 
frightened  wife  with  a  telegram,  the  rush  from 
Petersburg  to  Cronstadt,  hurried  calls,  appointment 
to  the  Suvaroff,  good-byes,  send-offs,  a  new  service, 
etc.,  etc. 

I  am  not  yet  accustomed  to  my  new  surroundings. 

To-day  I  bade  good-bye  to  the  captain  and  officers 
of  the  Borodino,  and  to  the  foremen  and  workmen. 
They  wished  me  good  luck,  drank  my  health,  cheered, 
and  the  band  played.  They  evidently  had  a  very 
friendly  disposition  towards  me. 

The  parting  with  the  foremen  and  workmen  was 
cordial.     It  was  very  sad  to  see  their  doleful  faces. 

1 


2  BEGINNING    THE  VOYAGE 

They  all  cried  before  the  end  of  their  farewell 
speeches.  I  kissed  all  and  thanked  them.  They 
blessed  me  with  the  ikon  of  St.  Nicholas.  I 
promised  to  give  them  my  photograph  as  a  me- 
mento. I  had  nothing  else  to  repay  them  with. 
I  could  think  of  nothing  better. 

August  30th. — Yesterday  we  left  Cronstadt.  The 
Emperor  overtook  the  fleet  in  the  Alexandria,  and 
steamed  round  it.  All  the  time  bands  were  playing, 
the  men  cheered,  the  fleet  saluted.  It  was  a  superb 
sight.  At  times  the  smoke  from  the  guns  was  so 
thick  that  the  nearest  ships  were  not  visible.  To- 
day we  arrived  at  Revel  at  7  a.m.  It  is  said  we  are 
to  remain  here  for  nearly  a  month. 

To-day  is  the  Suvaroff's  name-day.  There  was 
mass.     No  festivities. 

8  p.m. — Such  a  worry.  Nowhere  can  I  find 
room  for  myself.  When  I  was  working  on  board 
the  Borodino,  as  you  may  imagine,  I  constantly 
consoled  myself  with  the  thought  of  rest  and  of 
leave.  The  Borodino  is  completed.  I  might  now 
have  been  free,  might  now  have  been  living  at 
home  with  my  wife.  But  ah  !  fate  !  It  seems 
to  me  that  I  shall  not  return.  My  predecessor  in 
this  cabin  that  I  occupy  went  mad  and  was  retired. 
This  may  be  superstition,   but   it   is  nevertheless 


WORRIES  AND  WORK  3 

unpleasant.  It  is  said  that  to-day  the  captain  of 
the  Asia  momentarily  lost  his  head  and  steered 
his  ship  to  ram  the  Apraxin ;  the  presence  of  mind 
of  the  officer  of  the  watch  saved  the  Asia  and 
Apraxin  from  damage. 

October  3rd. — At  sea,  on  the  way  to  the  island  of 
Bornholm.  Time  flies.  Daily  there  are  new  im- 
pressions, worries,  gossip,  and  work.  On  the  eve 
of  our  departure  from  Libau  there  was  prayer,  with 
genuflexions  for  "  Boyarin  Zenovie.'V,1 

Yesterday   we   had   vespers,    and   to-day   mass. 

Everything  so  triumphant  and  showy  !    The  weather 

was  glorious.     At  lunch  the  band  played.    Suddenly 

it    was    reported    that    the    torpedo-boat    Buistry 

(Rapid)  had  rammed  the  Oslyabya — had  knocked 

a  hole  in  herself  and  damaged  her  torpedo-tubes. 

The  Buistry  approached  the  Suvaroff.     With  the 

help  of  a  megaphone  (i.e.  a  large  speaking-trumpet) 

the  admiral  conversed  with  her.     They  managed 

to  plug  the  holes.     It  will  be  my  work  to  mend 

them.     We    shall    anchor  off    Bornholm,   where    I 

hope  to  repair  the  torpedo-boat.     To-night  there 

will  be  danger.     We  shall  all  sleep  in  our  clothes 

and  all  guns  will  be  loaded.    We  shall  pass  through 

1  Admiral  Rojdestven sky's  Christian  name.  "  Boyarin  " 
means  "the  lord." 


4  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE 

a  narrow  strait.  We  are  afraid  of  striking  on 
Japanese  mines  in  these  waters.  Perhaps  there 
will  be  no  mines  ;  but  considering  that  long  ago 
Japanese  officers  went  to  Sweden  and,  it  is  said, 
swore  to  destroy  our  fleet,  we  must  be  on  our  guard. 
This  strait  is  eminently  suitable  for  torpedo-boat 
attacks  or  for  laying  down  mines.  When  you  get 
this  letter  we  shall  have  passed  the  dangerous 
place,  and  it  is  no  use  your  worrying  yourself 
about  it. 

Have  things  gone  badly  with  Kuropatkin  again  ? 
How  serious  it  is !  Will  there  ever  be  an  end  to 
our  reverses  ? 

4  p.m. — We  have  passed  the  island  of  Bornholm 
without  stopping.  The  southern  shores  of  Sweden 
were  visible.  On  the  way  we  met  a  good  many 
steamers.  We  are  steaming  with  the  greatest 
precaution.  The  fleet  is  split  into  several  divisions, 
steaming  at  a  certain  distance  from  one  another. 
Each  division  is  surrounded  by  torpedo-boats. 
Whenever  a  steamer  or  sailing-ship  is  observed  on 
our  course  or  coming  toward  us,  a  torpedo-boat 
goes  ahead  and  clears  the  way — that  is,  drives  them 
aside. 

It  is  a  pretty  sight — a  torpedo-boat  going  full 
speed,,   gliding  swiftly  over  the  sea  like  a  snake. 


BLACK  AS   THE  DEVIL  5 

Being  low  in  the  water,  it  can  scarcely  be  seen  from 
afar. 

October  4th. — At  anchor  off  the  coast  of  Denmark, 
opposite  the  island  of  Langeland  (Longland).  On 
board  the  transport  Kamchatka. 

Ah  me,  what  a  day  it  has  been  !  We  had  scarcely 
arrived  at  Langeland  when  I  went  on  board  the 
torpedo-boat  Buistry,  not  having  even  drunk  my 
coffee.  I  put  on  high  boots  and  took  my  mackin- 
tosh. The  Buistry  approached  the  Kamchatka 
and  the  work  began.  I  got  as  black  as  the  devil 
in  the  bunker.  I  must  have  new  overalls.  I  shall 
buy  some  cloth  somewhere  and  give  it  to  a  sailor 
to  make. 

High  boots  are  invaluable,  but  it  is  a  pity  they 
do  not  come  above  the  knee,  as  I  sometimes  have 
to  crawl  and  spoil  my  trousers,  just  as  I  did  to-day. 
The  work  in  the  Buistry  is  tremendous.  The  wind 
freshened.  The  torpedo-boat  rolled.  We  should 
have  worked  outboard,  but  there  was  too  much  sea 
on ;  she  rolled  her  deck  under.  The  artificers  will 
work  all  night  at  the  inside,  and  perhaps  to-morrow 
they  may  be  able  to  do  outside  repairs.  Towards 
the  evening  it  blew  so  hard  that  it  was  useless 
thinking  of  getting  on  board  the  Suvaroff.  It  is  very 
cramped  in  the  torpedo-boat,  and  she  is  still  rolling 


6  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE 

very  heavily.  I  went  over  to  the  Kamchatka.  I  do 
not  yet  know  if  I  shall  get  a  cabin  to  sleep  in.  I 
brought  very  few  cigarettes  with  me.  Here,  off 
Langeland,  are  a  Danish  cruiser  and  a  torpedo-boat 
guarding  our  anchorage  from  the  Japanese,  who  might 
fire  a  torpedo  at  us.  There  are  Danish  pilots  in  each 
ship,  as  well  as  in  the  torpedo-boats.  Once  we  are 
out  of  the  Baltic,  the  danger  from  mines  will  be 
passed. 

I  am  sitting  in  the  wardroom  of  the  Kamchatka, 
where  I  have  found  some  paper  on  which  I  am 
scribbling.  If  the  weather  does  not  abate  I  shall 
have  to  stay  in  the  Kamchatka  until  we  reach  the 
next  anchorage.  They  have  just  come  to  report 
that  there  are  no  spare  hammocks.  I  shall  have 
to  spend  the  night  on  a  sofa  in  the  wardroom,  with- 
out undressing.     Well,  that  is  no  hardship  ! 

I  shall  sleep  somehow,  as  I  am  very  tired. 

October  15th,  12  noon. — At  9  a.m.  I  went  from 
the  Buistry  to  the  Suvaroff.  Find  the  consul  is  just 
leaving.  I  fastened  my  letter  No.  3  somehow, 
unsigned,  and  gave  it  to  the  consul  without  a  stamp. 
I  think  it  will  reach  you. 

At  eleven  o'clock  I  went  to  lunch  with  the  admiral, 
who  conferred  on  me  the  Order  of  St.  Anne.  This 
came  as  a   surprise  to  me.    The  order  with  the 


MISHAPS  7 

ribbon  was  sent  to  me.     The  admiral  is  promoted 
to  vice-admiral  and  aide-de-camp  to  the  Czar. 

3  p.m. — I  lay  down  hoping  to  rest,  but  it  was  not 
to  be ;  I  had  to  go  to  the  Sissoi — her  davits  had 
broken.  They  could  not  lower  a  single  cutter.  Off 
I  went.  Here  we  are  at  our  first  anchorage,  and 
already  there  are  a  heap  of  damages.  The  Buistry 
is  damaged ;  there  are  breakages  in  the  Sissoi : 
in  the  Jemchug  the  davits  broke  and  a  cutter  sank. 

Three  Danish  steamers  which  coaled  us  are 
damaged.  The  owners  assess  the  damages  at  6,000 
roubles  (£600).  I  shall  have  to  go  and  look  at 
them. 

I  do  not  take  into  account  minor  mishaps,  such 
as  the  torpedo-boat  Prozorlivy  (Clearsighted),  which 
struck  her  bows  somewhere,  and  of  course  bent 
them.  She  was,  however,  able  to  cope  with  the 
leak  herself. 

October  6th. — On  the  way  to  Cape  Skaw. 

Another  mishap  to  the  Orel  (Eagle).1  At  a  most 
critical  moment,  when  we  were  going  through  a 
narrow  strait,  her  rudder  was  injured.  She 
anchored.  The  damage  is  not  yet  ascertained. 
There  is  probably  some  scoundrel  on  board  who  has 

1  On  September  17th,  1904,  the  battleship  Orel  went 
aground  when  being  towed  to  sea. 


8  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE 

been  trying  all  along  to  injure  the  ship.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  be  one  of  the  crew.  We  got  up  anchor  at 
7  a.m.  The  weather  is  fair,  but  it  appears  to  be 
freshening.  The  wind  is  beginning  to  get  much 
stronger,  although  the  sun  is  still  shining,  and  there 
is  not  much  sea. 

It  is  warm  here,  120  to  130  R. 

The  Orel  weighed  anchor  and  followed  the  fleet. 

October  yth. — We  are  not  yet  up  to  the  Skaw. 
Shall  be  there  soon.  The  weather  is  very  fine  again. 
I  wonder  what  it  will  be  like  in  the  German  Ocean. 
We  have  to  put  our  watches  back  now. 

It  is  8.30  on  board  at  this  moment.  In  Peters- 
burg it  is  probably  not  yet  8  o'clock. 

I  occasionally  look  at  a  book,  The  English  Self- 
teacher,  but  I  do  not  get  on  with  it  ;  sometimes  I 
am  lazy,  and  sometimes  people  interrupt  me. 

At  anchor  off  the  Skaw.  There  is  no  communi- 
cation with  the  shore  except  through  the  pilot. 
I  gave  my  letter  No.  4  to  him  to  post.  Sending 
a  telegram  is  out  of  the  question.  At  present 
we  have  stopped  at  sea,  and  are  not  off  a  port. 
We  were  anxious  about  the  Orel  all  night.  As 
I  have  already  told  you,  she  left  the  fleet,  no  longer 
answered  signals,  and  found  herself  in  a  dangerous 
place.     Now  she  is  anchored  with  the  other  ships. 


STRICT  DISCIPLINE  9 

I  write  to  you  so  often  now,  that  when  it  will  be 
difficult  to  send  letters,  and  they  will  take  a  long 
time  reaching  you,  you  are  bound  to  be  anxious. 
In  any  case,  I  warn  you  of  this.  Of  course,  I  shall 
write  to  you  as  often  as  possible.  I  must  finish 
this  letter.     The  post  goes  very  soon  in  the  Ermak. 

The  next  trip  will  be  of  some  days'  duration.  We 
have  no  news  of  the  war.  It  is  very  trying.  The 
torpedo-boat  Prozorlivy  has  damaged  her  condenser, 
and  is  being  sent  to  Libau.  The  Jemchug  lost  a 
cutter  and  broke  the  davits.  The  davits  were 
taken  down  to-day  and  sent  to  the  Kamchatka, 
where,  in  hoisting  them  on  board,  they  fell  into  the 
water   and   sank. 

How  strict  discipline  is  now !  A  signal  was 
made  to  the  Ermak.  She  did  not  answer,  so 
they  began  firing  projectiles  under  her  stern. 
After  such  a  reminder  she  quickly  responded. 

At  three  o'clock  a  Swedish  steamer  approached 
the  fleet,  flying  a  signal  that  she  had  very  important 
dispatches.  Apparently  the  Russian  agent  reported 
that  a  very  suspicious  three-masted  sailing  ship  had 
sailed  from  the  fiords.  An  order  has  now  been 
given  to  train  all  guns  on  every  passing  vessel. 
We  met  ships  hitherto,  but  the  torpedo-boats  always 
drove  them   out   of   the   way.     We   have   already 


10  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE 

passed  the  most  dangerous  spots.  Half  an  hour 
ago  it  was  reported  to  the  admiral  that  either  the 
Navarin  or  the  Nachimoff  (I  do  not  remember 
which)  had  signalled  that  they  had  seen  two 
balloons.  What  can  this  be  ?  Can  it  be  the 
Japanese  ? 

8  p.m. — Panic  prevails  on  board.  Every  one  ex- 
amines the  sea  intently.  The  weather  is  glorious. 
It  is  warm.  There  is  moonlight.  The  slightest 
suspicious-looking  spot  in  the  water  is  carefully 
watched.  The  guns  are  loaded.  The  crew  are 
standing  about  on  deck.  One  half  will  sleep  at 
their  guns  without  undressing ;  the  other  half  and 
officers  will  keep  watch  to-night.  It  is  curious  that 
we  are  so  far  from  the  theatre  of  war  and  yet  so 
much  alarmed.  The  crew  treat  the  matter  seri- 
ously. 

By  the  way,  I  will  tell  you  the  following  incident. 
A  sailor  of  the  Revel  half  "  equipage "  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  go  to  the  war  in  one  of  the 
ships.  His  request  was  refused.  He  thereupon 
climbed  into  the  hold  of  one  of  the  transports  and 
remained  there  until  now.  Imagine  how  many 
days  he  passed  in  the  fetid  hold  of  the  transport  ! 
Besides  that,  he  would  be  suspected  of  being  a 
deserter — that   is,   to  have  committed   a  severely 


STRAINED   NERVES  II 

punishable  offence.  No  doubt  they  will  inform 
Revel  and  keep  him  in  the  fleet.  A  curious  inci- 
dent, is  it  not  ?  I  wish  the  whole  thing  were  over. 
Every  one's  nerves  are  strained  just  now.  There 
are  some  officers  in  the  fleet  who  have  returned  from 
Port  Arthur,  and  they  say  that  people  out  there  are 
not  nearly  as  nervous  as  they  are  in  Russia. 

The  following  details  will  show  you  how  accus- 
tomed they  have  grown  to  the  position.  The  crews 
of  the  ships  at  Port  Arthur  asked  leave  to  go  to  the 
advanced  positions,  and  returned  under  the  influence 
of  liquor.  No  one  could  understand  how  they 
became  drunk.  In  the  town  liquors  were  not  sold, 
and  yet  men  went  to  the  advanced  positions  and 
returned  intoxicated.  At  last  it  was  discovered, 
and  how  do  you  suppose  ?  It  appears  that  the 
sailors  went  to  the  front  in  order  to  kill  one  of  the 
enemy  and  take  away  his  brandy-flask.  Just 
imagine  such  a  thing.  They  risked  their  lives  to 
get  drunk  !  They  did  all  this  without  thinking  any- 
thing of  it,  and  contrived  to  conceal  it  from  the 
authorities. 

October  8th. — The  German  Ocean  (North  Sea). 

What  a  night  it  has  been — nerve-racking  and 
restless.  Early  in  the  evening  all  were  in  a  state 
of  nervous  tension  and  panic.     News  was  received 


12  BEGINNING   THE  VOYAGE 

at  midnight  from  the  foremost  ships  that  they  had 
observed  four  suspicious  torpedo-boats  without 
lights.  Vigilance  was  redoubled,  but  thank  God 
the  night  passed  happily.  At  present  there  is  a  fog. 
Nothing  is  visible  all  around.  The  sirens  which  you 
dislike  so  much  are  shrieking.  I  went  to  bed, 
dressed,  last  night,  and  did  not  cover  myself  with 
the  counterpane,  but  just  threw  my  overalls  over 
me.  In  the  night  I  froze,  so  covered  my  feet  with 
a  rug.  The  rug  was  very  useful — many  thanks 
to  you  for  it. 

We  are  now  in  the  German  Ocean.  They  say  it 
will  be  rough.  At  present  it  is  calm,  but  foggy.  We 
go  from  the  Skaw  to  Brest,  in  France.  There,  there 
will  be  no  communication  with  the  shore,  it  is  said. 
It  will  be  strange  if  we  arrive  in  the  East  without 
having  once  set  foot  on  dry  land — and  that  seems 
likely  to  happen  ;  circumnavigating  the  world  and 
not  seeing  a  single  town — how  that  would  please 
you  ! 

9  p.m. — A  signal  has  just  been  received  (by 
wireless  telegraphy)  that  the  Kamchatka,  which  had 
dropped  far  astern,  was  attacked  by  torpedo-boats. 
Just  off  to  find  out  details. 

10  p.m. — The  Kamchatka  reports  that  she  is 
attacked  on  all  sides  by  eight  torpedo-boats. 


SHIPS  AHEAD  !  1 3 

October  gth. — Night  of  October  9th. 

The  Kamchatka  is  asking  the  position  of  the  fleet. 
She  says  she  has  altered  course  and  that  the  torpedo- 
boats  have  gone.  On  board  us  they  think  that  the 
Japanese  are  asking  the  position  of  the  fleet.  The 
wind  has  freshened.  The  Suvaroff  is  rolling.  If  it 
continues  to  freshen,  the  torpedo-boats  will  be 
obliged  to  give  up  following  and  make  for  the 
nearest  shore. 

My  God  !    what  will  the  fleet  do  then  ? 

About  1  a.m.  they  sounded  off  quarters,  having 
seen  ships  ahead.  They  let  the  ships  get  nearer, 
and  then  there  began  .... 

What  it  was  words  fail  to  describe  !  All  the 
ships  of  our  division  were  ablaze.  The  noise  of  the 
firing  was  incessant.  The  searchlights  were  turned 
on.  I  was  on  the  after  bridge,  and  was  positively 
blinded  and  deafened  by  the  firing.  I  put  my 
hands  to  my  ears  and  bolted  below.  The  rest  I 
watched  from  the  spardeck,  out  of  the  accommo- 
dation-ladder port. 

A  small  steamer  was  rolling  helplessly  on  the  sea. 
One  funnel,  a  bridge,  and  the  red  and  black  paint  on 
her  side  were  clearly  visible.  I  saw  no  one  on  deck 
— they  had  probably  hidden  themselves  below  in 
terror.     First  one,  then  another  projectile  from  our 


14  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE 

ship  struck  this  unfortunate  steamer.  I  saw  there 
was  an  explosion.  The  order  to  cease  firing  was 
given,  but  the  other  ships  continued  to  fire  and  no 
doubt  sank  the  steamer.  A  second  and  third  steamer 
not  having  any  one  on  deck  rolled  helplessly  in 
the  same  fashion.  The  Suvaroff  did  not  fire  on 
them. 

Imagine  the  feelings  of  the  people  in  these  ships  ! 
They  were,  no  doubt,  fishermen.  Now  there  will 
be  a  universal  scandal.  As  a  matter  of  fact  they  are 
to  blame  themselves.  They  must  have  known  our 
fleet  was  coming,  and  they  must  have  known  the 
Japanese  wished  to  destroy  it.  They  saw  the  fleet. 
Why  did  they  not  cut  adrift  their  nets,  if  they  had 
them  out,  and  get  out  of  the  way  ?  The  nets  could 
be  paid  for  afterwards. 

We  shall  find  out  at  Brest  what  we  have  done. 
If  it  was  not  the  Kamchatka,  but  the  Japanese,  who 
asked  the  position  of  the  fleet,  they  will  now  know 
where  we  are  to  be  found.  If  that  is  the  case,  we 
must  expect  to  be  attacked  to-night.  The  moon  is 
shining  now,  but  from  4  to  6  a.m.  it  will  be  dark — 
the  time  most  suitable  for  attack.  If  only  we  could 
get  to  the  open  sea  !  We  shall  be  perfectly  safe 
there  from  these  accidents.  I  do  not  know  whether 
to  go  to  bed  or  not.     You  know  I  always  like  sharing 


A   MISFORTUNE  IS 

even  the  smallest  events  with  you  and  telling  you  of 
them.  Take  care  of  my  letters  ;  they  are  better  than 
any  diary.  Perhaps  some  day  I  will  read  them 
myself  and  refresh  my  memory  about  our  present 
excitements. 

2.30  a.m. — What  a  misfortune  !  A  signal  has 
come  from  the  Aurora,  ''Four  underwater  shot-holes, 
funnels  torn,  the  chaplain  severely  wounded,  and  a 
captain  of  a  gun  slightly." 

Our  division  fired  on  the  Aurora.  She  and  the 
Dimitry  Donskoi  were  detached  (we  are  in  six  divi- 
sions). At  the  time  of  the  firing  on  the  steamers 
the  men  lost  their  heads.  Probably  some  one  took 
her  to  be  Japanese  and  fired  on  her  with  the  six-inch 
guns ;  she  was  very  far  off.  A  very,  very  sad 
occurrence.  The  only  consolation  is  that  our  shoot- 
ing is  so  good. 

3.30  p.m. — The  second  and  third  steamers  about 
which  I  wrote  last  night  suffered  a  little  as  well. 
The  Aurora's  chaplain  had  his  hand  torn  off.  They 
asked  permission  to  call  at  the  nearest  port  in  order 
to  send  him  to  hospital.  The  admiral  refused.  Six 
different  projectiles  struck  the  Aurora,  whose  side 
and  funnels  were  pierced.  Comparatively  few  were 
injured.  The  Aurora  is  to  blame  for  having  shown 
herself  on  the  horizon,  on  the  side  away  from  us. 


l6  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE 

She  turned  her  searchlight  on  us,  and  by  so  doing 
made  us  take  her  to  be  one  of  the  enemy's  ships. 

Yesterday,  or  more  correctly  this  morning,  I  went 
to  bed  at  six  o'clock.  Again  I  did  not  undress.  I 
slept  by  snatches,  on  and  off  all  day.  Perhaps  there 
will  be  no  sleep  again  to-night. 

The  barber  has  just  cut  my  hair.  He  uses 
huge  tailor's  scissors  with  cloth-covered  handles. 
"  I  did  not  succeed  in  buying  a  proper  pair,"  he 
explained,  when  he  saw  me  looking  at  his  ditty 
box.1     He  cut  it  very  evenly  for  a  self-taught  barber. 

Whom  have  we  not  among  the  sailors  ? — tailors, 
bootmakers,  locksmiths,  cooks,  bakers,  barbers, 
photographers,  confectioners,  cigarette  makers,  etc. 
All  trades  are  represented,  and  there  is  work  for 
all  of  them  in  a  battleship.  The  captain  wanted 
to  be  shaved,  so  he  sent  an  orderly  for  a  barber. 
The  man  arrived  (not  the  one  who  cut  my  hair) 
and  the  shaving  began.  The  barber's  hand  shook 
and  the  captain's  face  grew  red  with  blood.  He 
had  nearly  taken  off  half  his  cheek.  A  fearful  row 
ensued.  The  captain,  with  soapy  cheeks,  smacked 
the  heads  of  the  orderly  and  barber.     The  latter 

1  A  small  wooden  box  in  which  sailors  keep  small  articles 
of  private  property,  such  as  watches,  letters,  photographs, 
etc. 


IN   THE   CHANNEL  IJ 

tried  to  excuse  himself  by  saying  that  he  is  still 
learning.  A  pretty  picture,  is  it  not  ?  Now  the 
captain   shaves  himself,   not  trusting  local  talent. 

ii  p.m. — An  eventful  day  has  gone  by  !  At  six 
o'clock  some  fishing-nets  fouled  the  screws,  but  the 
engines  are  working.  The  fishermen  in  these  parts 
tow  very  long  nets,  and  you  have  to  pass  over 
them. 

We  had  vespers  to-day.  How  will  this  night 
pass  ?  The  weather  remains  fine.  It  is  calm. 
The  moon  will  shine  until  four  o'clock.  Perhaps 
another  fog  will  come  on  like  last  night.  All  this 
morning  the  sirens  were  screeching  in  the  fog.  We 
shall  be  at  the  entrance  of  the  English  Channel  in 
the  morning.  Again  they  have  not  served  out 
hammocks  to  the  crew.  They  will  sleep  at  their 
guns  fully  dressed. 

October  10th  (7  p.m.). — In  the  English  Channel, 
between  England  and  France. 

I  have  not  written  to  you  the  whole  day,  and  it 
is  getting  on  my  conscience. 

We  had  mass  in  the  morning,  and  then  lunch. 
Not  having  slept  all  night,  I  lay  down  to  rest.  I 
slept  until  3.30.  I  worked  and  then  dined.  I  am 
only  just  free.  The  night  passed  quietly.  It  is 
raining  now,  and  the  ship  is  gently  heaving  on  the 

2 


1 8  BEGINNING   THE  VOYAGE 

ocean  swell.  If  nothing  further  occurs,  we  shall  be 
at  Brest  to-morrow.  Passing  by  England  this 
morning  I  saw  her  southern  shores,  which  were 
faintly  visible  in  the  mist.  Yes,  there  was  "  Foggy 
Albion."  Involuntarily  I  pondered  over  this  clod 
of  earth — so  powerful,  so  rich,  so  proud,  and  so 
ill-disposed  towards  us.  We  are  only  three  hours' 
journey  from  London  and  six  by  rail  from  Paris. 

Many  varieties  of  birds  settle  on  the  ship,  tired 
and  exhausted  by  their  long  flight.  The  crew  feed 
them  and  let  them  go. 

I  am  depressed — fearfully  depressed.  Anxiety 
presses  on  my  soul  !  What  would  I  not  give  to  be 
with  you  now  !  Again  I  have  not  slept  all  night. 
How  tiring  it  all  is  ! 

October  nth. — They  say  it  is  very  possible  we  shall 
not  call  at  Brest.  Profiting  by  the  fine  weather, 
we  shall  steer  straight  across  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 
The  bay  enjoys  a  bad  reputation.  It  is  seldom 
crossed  in  calm  weather.  It  blows  there  very 
heavily.     So  far  we  have  had  a  very  fair  voyage. 

The  Korea,  which  apparently  called  at  Cherbourg, 
signals  that  she  has  heard  nothing  of  the  fleet 
having  fired  on  steamers.  The  torpedo-boat  Bravy 
has  broken  something. 

Bay  of  Biscay. 


STEAMING  THROUGH   MILK  !  1 9 

Fate  herself  prevented  our  going  to  Brest,  and 
steered  us  straight  across  the  Bay  of  Biscay  to 
Vigo  (Spain). 

Such  a  thick  fog  came  up  at  1  p.m.  that  the  ship 
astern  was  not  visible.  We  are  steaming  through 
milk  !  The  sirens  are  shrieking  in  turn,  one  ship 
after  another. 

The  following  ships  are  in  our  division  :  first  the 
Suvaroff,  next  the  Alexander  III.,  then  the  Borodino, 
Orel,  and  the  transport  Anadir. 

Perhaps  it  is  just  as  well  we  did  not  go  to  Brest. 
The  entrance  to  the  port  is  very  difficult,  dangerous, 
and  impossible  in  a  fog. 

If  we  do  not  go  to  Crete,  from  Vigo  onwards  the 
way  before  us  is  wide — the  whole  ocean  ! 

Lying  on  my  bed  last  night  I  watched  the  rats 
making  themselves  at  home  in  my  cabin.  I  used 
to  sleep  with  my  feet  towards  the  door,  but  have 
now  put  my  pillow  there,  because  of  the  rats.  They 
can  jump  from  the  writing-table  on  to  the  settee, 
and  could  easily  have  jumped  on  my  head. 

Since  we  left  the  port  of  Alexander  III.  at  Libau, 
a  fortnight  ago,  no  telegrams  have  been  sent,  except 
those  allowed  by  the  admiral.  This  was  done  so 
that  spies  should  not  warn  the  Japanese,  waiting 
for    us    in    the    Ba.ltic.    The    Japanese    evidently 


20  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE 

thought  (report  said  there  were  more  than  a  hun- 
dred of  them  in  the  Baltic)  that  we  should  wait  for 
the  Oleg  at  Libau.  The  admiral,  however,  did  not 
wait  for  the  Oleg,  and  left.  Their  spies  did  not 
succeed  in  warning  them.  Though  telegrams  were 
received  at  the  office,  they  were  not  sent  on  for  two 
days.     Perhaps  this  accounts  for  their  inactivity. 

Evening. — The  fog  dispersed  and  our  division 
reassembled.  The  crew  will  sleep  at  their  guns 
without  undressing  till  we  reach  Vigo. 

I  sit  in  my  cabin  and  try  to  distract  my  thoughts. 
Such  gloom  overwhelms  me  that  I  feel  inclined  to 
hang  myself.  I  go  into  the  wardroom,  take  a  hand 
at  dominoes,  play  with  the  dogs,  or  idle  about,  not 
knowing  what  to  do  with  myself. 

There  are  three  dogs  who  are  always  to  be  found 
in  the  wardroom  of  the  Suvaroff.  One  is  a  dachs 
called  "  Dinky  "  ;  the  second  a  fox-terrier  puppy, 
"Gipsy";  and  the  third,  "  Flagmansky,"  is  some- 
thing like  a  dachs,  but  white-haired  and  rough. 
Flagmansky  and  Gipsy  are  very  amusing  animals. 
They  are  often  played  with  and  teased ;  corks  and 
papers  are  tied  to  them  with  string,  and  they  jump 
and  romp  about.  Now  you  know  all  our  amuse- 
ments.   They  are  not  many  ! 

I  go  on  deck  and  look  at  this  much-vaunted  sea. 


APPROACHING   SPAIN  21 

Some  one  has  prepared  Flagmansky  for  the 
tropics  by  cutting  off  all  the  hair  on  his  body, 
leaving  his  head  like  a  lion's.  The  chaplain  is 
accused  of  doing  this,  but  he  denies  it. 

We  shall  arrive  at  Vigo  either  to-night  or  to- 
morrow morning.  It  will  be  interesting  to  know 
if  they  will  allow  us  to  coal  from  our  transport 
Anadir.     Coal  is  getting  scarce  in  the  battleships. 

October  12th. — We  are  approaching  Spain.  Light- 
houses are  already  visible.  We  shall  be  at  Vigo 
in  the  morning.  We  shall  all  be  much  relieved, 
as  we  have  not  called  at  a  single  port  since  we  left 
Libau.  We  could  go  on  to  Tangier  without  stopping. 
The  weather  has  greatly  facilitated  our  passage. 

Admiral  Folkersham,  commanding  the  2nd  divi- 
sion of  battleships  (in  it  are  the  Sissoi,  Oslyabya, 
Navarin,  Nachimoff,  and  another),  distinguished 
himself  when  passing  through  the  English  Channel. 
He  approached  the  English  coast  and  coaled  his 
ships  from  the  transports.  We  are  all  laughing  to 
think  of  the  horror  of  our  Minister  for  Foreign 
Affairs  (by  the  way,  all  the  ministers  were  opposed 
to  the  dispatch  of  the  fleet,  but  the  admiral  insisted 
on  it). 

The  Minister  will  be  informed   of  the  firing  on 
the  steamers.      That   will   be   the   first   European 


22  BEGINNING   THE  VOYAGE 

complication.  They  will  then  tell  him  about  the 
coaling  near  England — a  second  complication. 
Finally  he  will  learn  that  a  whole  division  of  our 
fleet  has  called  at  the  neutral  port  of  Vigo. 

October  13th. — In  Vigo  Bay. 

No  communication  with  the  shore  allowed.  I 
gave  my  letter  No.  6,  of  thirty-two  pages,  to  be 
forwarded  by  the  Consulate.  Of  course,  there  were 
no  stamps.     I  wonder  if  you  will  get  it  ! 

We  shall  not  remain  here  more  than  twenty-four 
hours.  The  Spanish  authorities  do  not  allow  a 
longer  stay.  This  place  is  hot  and  sunny.  There 
were  200  R.  in  the  shade.  The  place  is  pretty. 
There  are  hills  all  around.  The  town  is  evidently 
not  large. 

12  o'clock. — The  authorities  do  not  allow  us  to 
stop  for  a  moment.  In  order  to  gain  time,  the 
admiral  asked  the  local  captain  of  the  port  to 
telegraph  to  Madrid,  to  ask  that  we  might  stay  here 
five  days  to  make  good  defects.  In  spite  of  the 
prohibition  we  are  about  to  take  in  coal,  without 
which  our  fleet  would  be  checkmated.  Sentries 
will  be  posted  over  the  hawsers  (ropes  which  fasten 
the  ships  to  the  colliers),  with  orders  to  allow  no 
one  to  cast  them  off.  What  will  be  the  end  of  all 
this  ? 


WILL  THEY  ALLOW  US  TO  COAL?      23 

A  collier  lies  near  each  battleship,  but  they  are 
not  allowed  to  coal.  Telegrams  are  sent  every- 
where. They  are  now  waiting  for  a  reply  from 
Madrid.     Will  they  really  not  allow  us  to  coal ! 

The  admiral  has  received  a  telegram  stating  that 
England  is  in  a  ferment — not  at  our  having  fired 
on  the  steamers,  but  because  the  torpedo-boat 
which  was  left  on  the  scene  of  the  drama  gave  no 
help  to  the  sufferers.  None  of  our  torpedo-boats 
were  there.  They  were  at  Cherbourg.  The  admiral 
replied  to  this  effect  to  our  ambassador  in  London. 

An  answer  has  been  received  from  Madrid.  It 
announces  that  the  Government  requests  us  to 
refrain  from  coaling,  but  will  inform  us  to-morrow 
how  much  we  may  take. 

The  admiral  ordered  a  signal  to  be  hoisted  for  the 
fleet,  to  be  in  readiness  to  weigh  anchor  at  7  a.m. 

When  the  admiral  went  ashore  to-day,  he  was 
met  in  state.  The  crowd  made  an  ovation,  a  de- 
scription of  which  was  in  the  local  evening  papers. 

October  14th. — I  gave  my  letter  to  a  soldier  or 
police  "  alguazil,"  as  they  call  them  on  board.  I 
gave  him  money — one  peseta  ! 

Our  battleships  lie  waiting.  It  is  positively 
insulting  !  Coal,  bought  by  Russia,  is  in  steamers 
close  alongside  and  is  not  allowed  to  be  put  on 


24  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE 

board.  "  Who  prevents  it  ?  "  you  ask.  Miserable, 
beggarly,  broken  Spain.  Undoubtedly  the  hand 
of  England  is  visible  in  this.  The  Spaniards  make 
no  secret  of  it. 

At  i  p.m.  permission  came  for  each  ship  to  take 
in  400  tons.  Sailors  and  officers,  dirty  and  black, 
hasten  to  begin  coaling.  White  tunics  and  cap- 
covers  are  nowhere  to  be  seen.  Everything  is  black 
with  coal-dust.  Faces  are  black  as  soot,  and  only 
teeth  gleam  white. 

October  18th. — They  say  we  leave  for  Tangier 
to-morrow  morning.  I  have  been  busy  all  day, 
and  not  able  to  write. 


CHAPTER    II 

OFF   NORTH-WEST   AFRICA 

October  igth. — On  the  way  from  Vigo  to  Tangier. 

Permission  came  last  evening  for  us  to  proceed. 
At  7  a.m.  to-day  the  fleet  weighed  anchor  and  left 
Vigo  Bay. 

I  did  not  succeed  in  getting  ashore.  Yesterday 
an  engineer  of  the  Anadir  fell  from  the  upper  deck 
into  the  hold,  but  escaped  uninjured. 

There  is  a  report  in  the  newspapers  that,  during 
the  firing  on  the  steamers  in  the  German  Ocean, 
the  chaplain  of  the  Aurora  was  wounded,  and  now 
they  have  sent  him  into  hospital  at  Tangier,  where 
the  remainder  of  the  fleet  are  lying.  There  is  no 
proper  harbour  at  Tangier — merely  the  open  sea. 
It  is  unlike  Vigo.  The  latter  is  one  of  the  best 
harbours  in  the  world.  It  is  deep  and  long  and 
broad.  The  Spaniards  do  not  know  how  to  profit 
by  such  natural  wealth.  Vigo  might  carry  on  a 
universal  trade.     At  present  it  is  a  small  provincial 

25 


26  OFF   NORTH-WEST   AFRICA 

town  on  the  sea.  The  Spaniards  are  very  poor, 
because  they  are  uncommonly  lazy.  Vigo  trades 
mostly  in  sardines.  They  have  a  sardine  factory. 
The  sardines  are  caught  in  the  bay,  which  is  divided 
into  squares  for  each  party  of  fishermen.  Heaven 
help  the  fishermen  who  trespass  in  the  square  of 
the  others.  There  is  a  fight  at  once.  This  occurs 
so  often,  that  there  are  special  ships  who  part  the 
fighters  and  tow  the  guilty  fishermen  in  their  boats 
to  the  shore,  for  punishment. 

The  weather  is  fine  at  present  ;  but  what  dark- 
ness !  Literally  nothing  can  be  seen,  and  there 
are  no  stars.  Only  lights  that  are  absolutely  neces- 
sary are  left  on  deck.  It  is  dark  everywhere. 
One  has  to  look  out  and  not  bump  one's  head  or 
fall. 

Something  has  gone  wrong  again  with  the  OreVs 
steering  engine.  She  continues  to  keep  up  with 
the  others. 

About  10  p.m.  some  ships  chased  us.  They  are 
now  around  us,  and  on  the  same  course  as  ourselves. 
There  are  five  or  six  of  them.  At  one  time  it  was 
completely  dark,  and  then  the  ships  behaved  very 
defiantly — now  extinguishing  all  their  lights,  now 
passing  us,  now  chasing  us,  and  now  coming  close 
up    to   us.     Our   division   is   steaming   surrounded 


ESCORTED   BY  THE   ENGLISH  2^ 

by  them.  They  appear  to  be  warships,  judging 
by  their  shape,  which  we  saw  when  one  of  them 
lighted  up  another  with  her  searchlight.  We  are 
ordered  to  log  all  their  manoeuvres,  lamp  signals, 
place  of  meeting  with  them,  etc.  Hammocks  are 
not  served  out  to  the  crew,  and  they  sleep  at  the 
guns. 

The  night  has  just  become  a  little  lighter.  Stars 
have  appeared,  though  sometimes  clouded  over. 
The  stars  and  the  Milky  Way  recall  Tashkend  to 
me.  There,  there  are  the  same  dark  nights  and 
bright  stars. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  ships  now  surrounding 
us  are  English,  and  that  at  dawn  they  will  disperse. 

Hope  we  shall  soon  get  to  the  ocean.  There  you 
can  shape  a  course  one  hundred  miles  off,  and  no 
one  will  find  you. 

October  20th. — The  English  ships  escorted  us  all 
night.     They  are  now  steaming  on  each  side  of  us. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  Orel  hoisted  a  signal  that  her 
steering  engine  was  damaged.  All  the  ships 
stopped.  The  Alexander  lowered  a  boat  and  sent 
the  flag  engineer  to  her.  At  nine  o'clock  our  battle- 
ships and  the  Anadir  proceeded  to  Tangier. 

Sometimes  the  coasts  of  Portugal  are  visible. 

When  our  ships   stopped   the  English   probably 


23  OFF  NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

took  it  for  a  hostile  demonstration.  They  quickly 
assembled  astern  of  our  division  and  formed  in 
battle  order.  Horrid  folk !  They  are  Russia's 
eternal  enemy.  They  are  cunning,  powerful  at 
sea,  and  insolent  everywhere.  All  nations  hate 
England,  but  it  suits  them  to  tolerate  her.  If  you 
could  only  hear  how  furiously  Spaniards  abuse  the 
English  !  They  shake  their  fists  and  nearly  foam 
at  the  mouth.  If  they  only  could,  they  would 
gladly  play  some  low  trick  on  them.  How  many 
impediments  has  this  "  Ruler  of  the  Seas  "  put  on 
our  voyage  ?  Every  impediment  has  come  from 
Britannia. 

Do  you  know,  we  have  passed  by  the  shores  of  nine 
countries — Sweden,  Norway,  Denmark,  Belgium, 
Holland,  England,  France,  Germany,  Spain.  We 
are  now  passing  by  the  tenth — Portugal. 

Portugal  is  considered  the  ally  of  England,  and 
upholds  her  everywhere. 

Evening. — To-day  there  was  a  memorial  service 
for  the  Emperor  Alexander  III.  The  English 
cruisers  accompanied  us  all  day,  and  at  dusk  again 
surrounded  us  in  a  semicircle.  They  are,  however, 
steaming  with  lights,  and  are  not  playing  any  of  the 
tricks  they  played  last  night. 

If  nothing  happens  we  shall  be  at  Tangier  at 


RESPECTABLE  COMPANY  29 

3  p.m.  to-morrow.  An  hour  ago  we  passed  Cape 
St.  Vincent  (Portuguese),  off  which  a  great  naval 
battle  once  took  place. 

It  is  beginning  to  be  hot  and  stuffy  in  the  cabins, 
although  it  is  pouring  with  rain. 

The  number  of  English  cruisers  accompanying 
us  has  increased  to  ten.  We  are  steaming  com- 
pletely surrounded  by  them.  The  ships  are  in  this 
order  : 


0 

Borodino 

SUVAROFF                 O 

• 

• 

0 

Orel              j 

Alexander  III.  O 

• 

0 

• 

Anadir 

• 

• 

All  this  respectable  company  are  going  in  the 
direction  of  the  arrow.  How  small  our  division 
appears  compared  with  the  English !  Will  they 
escort  us  for  long  in  this  manner  ?  Perhaps  to 
Gibraltar,  or  perhaps  even  fuither !  The  crews 
again  do  not  undress,  and  sleep  at  the  guns.  It  is 
very  trying  for  them. 

There  has  just  been  a  short  mass  and  prayer. 
Three  engineers,  not  yet  having  taken  the  oath, 
were  sworn.  The  officers  and  men  were  fallen  in 
on  deck  as  on  Sundays.    The  admiral  made  a  short 


30  OFF   NORTH-WEST   AFRICA 

speech  on  the  subject  of  the  ten  years'  reign  of  the 
Czar,  drank  a  toast,  the  crew  cheered,  and  the  band 
played.  After  that  there  was  a  grand  lunch  in  the 
wardroom. 

Morocco,  in  Tangier  harbour. 
The  town  of  Tangier  is  unlike  any  we  see  in 
Europe.  It  is  inhabited  by  Moors  and  Arabs. 
There  are  Europeans,  but  they  live  principally 
outside  the  town,  which,  with  its  white  houses,  is 
widely  scattered  over  the  hilly  coast.  From  afar 
the  town  is  beautiful.  No  one  is  allowed  on 
shore. 

You  may  remember  once  all  the  papers  wrote 
that  a  Moorish  robber  had  captured  an  American 
and  demanded  a  ransom.  This  much-respected 
person  lives  twenty-five  versts  (nearly  seventeen 
miles)  from  Tangier,  and  has  built  himself  a  costly 
villa  with  the  money.  It  appears  that  he  still 
occupies  himself  in  robbery,  and  has  a  tribe  of  eight 
hundred  men.  No  one  is  allowed  to  go  far  from  the 
town. 

We  arrived  here  at  three  o'clock,  and  found  all 

our  fleet  except  the  torpedo-boats  at  anchor.     There 

are  two  French  ships  and  an  English  one  lying  here 

as  well. 

At  five  o'clock  the  hospital-ship  Orel  arrived.    She 


IN    TANGIER   HARBOUR  3 1 

is  painted  white  with  red  crosses  on  her  funnels. 
The  Red  Cross  flag  is  flying  at  her  masthead.  The 
chaplain  of  the  Aurora  who  was  wounded  on  the 
8th  died  from  blood-poisoning. 

There  is  a  report  that  there  are  two  Japanese 
torpedo-boats  at  Hull,  in  England.  They  are  pro- 
bably some  of  those  who  tried  to  attack  our  division. 

It  is  rumoured  that  Russia  has  bought  seven  more 
cruisers,  and  that  they  will  join  us  soon.  This  would 
be  excellent.  The  battleships  of  our  division  are 
now  coaling.  There  is  frightful  confusion  on  board. 
The  sailors  of  the  ship  which  coals  quickest  get  a 
prize.  The  crew  of  the  Alexander  III.  won  1,200 
roubles  (£120)  at  the  last  coaling. 

Asusual,  we  have  no  news  about  the  war  !  Yester- 
day was  an  anxious  day  for  Port  Arthur.  The 
Japanese  wished  to  hoist  their  flag  there  on  the 
Mikado's  birthday. 

Scarcely  had  the  Suvaroff  anchored,  when  from 
all  sides  came  steam  cutters  and  boats  with  captains 
of  ships,  paymasters,  and  other  officers.  From  the 
shore  came  the  local  authorities,  our  consul,  con- 
tractors, captains  of  foreign  ships — in  a  word,  every 
one  is  hastening  to  the  Suvaroff  like  the  public  to  the 
play  at  the  theatre  !  Truly  it  is  like  it  !  From  our 
ship  salutes  constantly  thunder,  various  flags  are 


32  OFF    NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

hoisted,  and  the  band  plays.  From  the  other  ships 
and  from  the  shore  they  salute  the  Suvaroff.  The 
scene  is  full  of  animation. 

The  native  inhabitants  dress  very  picturesquely, 
as  though  they  were  masquerading.  Some  are  in 
jackets  with  wide  breeches  and  a  fez,  and  others 
in  turbans  and  hooded  tunics,  all  of  various  colours. 
The  faces  of  all  are  very  dark.  They  consider 
themselves  of  importance.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  see  them  in  the  town. 

Our  torpedo-boats  have  already  left  for  the 
Mediterranean.  They  have  done  this  enormous 
journey  in  nineteen  days. 

10  p.m. — In  the  Gibraltar  Chronicle  they  announce 
that  Alexieff  is  leaving,  and  that  Stossel  has  tele- 
graphed that  Port  Arthur  will  be  his  grave. 

October  22nd  (night). — If  you  could  only  see  what 
an  nferno  this  coaling  is  !  The  steamers  and  battle- 
ships are  lighted  by  electricity.  The  holds  below 
and  the  decks  are  swarming  with  people.  Words  of 
command  are  abruptly  given,  and  the  band  plays 
the  gayest  tunes.  The  work  goes  better  to  music. 
Though  Morocco  is  considered  under  the  protection 
of  France,  there  is  an  English  post-office,  a  German 
one,  and  I  believe  a  Spanish  one  as  well. 

I  have  just  returned  from  the  steamer  Pallas, 


A  CURIOUS  OBJECT  33 

which  brought  coal  for  us  and  damaged   her  side 
while  coaling. 

A  pedlar  has  just  come  on  board,  bringing  picture 
postcards,  mats,  nets,  white  shoes  and  helmets  (you 
know  the  kind  the  English  wear  in  the  tropics).  I 
have  already  bought  myself  a  helmet,  and  the  post- 
cards that  are  left  are  not  much  good,  though  I 
bought  six  of  them  and  gave  one  to  my  servant. 
He  is  delighted.  The  boots  do  not  fit,  and  white 
boots  are  an  absolute  necessity  in  the  tropics. 

Our  consul's  "  cavass  "  has  just  come  on  board. 
He  has  a  black  face  ;  wears  a  red  fez,  and  a  blue 
tunic  with  a  hood  ;  has  bare  legs  and  yellow  heelless 
slippers.  He  is  a  curious  object.  He  will  stay 
with  us  till  we  leave,  and  will  collect  the  mails. 
We  shall  have  to  pay  a  hundred  francs  for  his 
boat.     A  modest  sum  ! 

Am  just  going  on  board  the  Orel.  Something  is 
damaged.  .  .  .  How  wet  I  got  !  My  legs  were  wet 
up  to  the  knees.  I  went  in  the  cutter  to  all  the 
private  coal-merchants,  looking  for  the  director  of 
the  company,  and  then  on  to  the  Orel.  The  rain  is 
falling  in  bucketfuls,  with  such  heaviness  that  it 
hides  the  other  ships  from  view  like  a  dense 
curtain.  It  is  perfectly  beastly.  Luckily  I  have  a 
mackintosh. 

3 


34  OFF   NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

I  have  a  trip  to  the  steamer  Esperanza  before  me. 
Hope  I  shall  escape  it. 

7  p.m. — Went  on  board  the  Esperanza.  Wore 
high  boots,  but  there  was  no  rain. 

The  local  papers  say  that  another  of  our  ships 
has  perished  off  Port  Arthur.  What  is  one  to 
believe  ?  For  instance,  there  is  a  story  in  the 
papers  that  our  admiral  insulted  the  English  admiral 
after  the  latter  had  tried  to  prevent  our  leaving 
Vigo.  A  quarrel  ensued,  guns  were  fired,  and  the 
English  were  beaten  by  us.  They  write  so  many 
lies  in  the  local  papers. 

October  25th. — From  Tangier  to  Dakar. 

We  left  Tangier  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  and 
are  now  on  our  way  to  Dakar,  which  lies  on  the 
western  shores  of  Africa,  not  far  from  St.  Louis 
and  Cape  Verde,  and  belongs  to  France. 

Have  not  written  to  you  for  a  couple  of  days,  for 
two  reasons.  I  am  very  angry  and  very  busy.  I 
am  angry  because  at  Tangier  I  never  received  a 
wire  from  you  in  answer  to  mine.  All  day  long 
yesterday,  till  the  depths  of  the  night,  I  was  busy 
with  sketches  and  calculations.  I  had  not  a  spare 
moment. 

When  weighing  anchor  at  Tangier  the  Anadir's 
anchor  caught  in  the  telegraph  cable.     By  order  of 


CUTTING   THE   CABLE  35 

the  admiral  the  cable  was  cut.  I  suppose  there  will 
again  be  diplomatic  representations  over  this  affair. 
No  doubt  the  English  will  say  that  it  was  done 
purposely,  so  that  no  telegrams  should  be  sent 
announcing  our  departure.  It  is  lucky  that  the 
cable  belongs  to  France.  Had  it  been  English  the 
scandal  would  have  been  terrific. 

At  Tangier  I  saw  a  peculiar  rainbow.  It  stretched 
from  the  foot  to  the  summit  of  a  hill. 

7  p.m. — My  work  is  accumulating  tremendously. 
I  began  early  in  the  morning,  and  probably  will 
be  busy  again  to-night  with  sketches  and  calcula- 
tions. It  will  be  a  long  time  before  you  get  this 
letter.  As  time  goes  on,  letters  will  be  less  frequent. 
We  have  a  tremendous  journey  before  us — seventeen 
or  eighteen  days  from  port  to  port — so  do  not  be 
anxious  at  not  receiving  news  for  a  very  long  time. 
During  our  present  cruise  this  is  quite  a  normal 
state  of  affairs. 

It  is  twenty-three  days  now  since  I  set  foot  on 
shore.  The  shore  is  not  attractive  as  a  rule.  I  long 
to  get  quickly  to  Vladivostok.  I  am  sick  to  death 
of  it  all.  They  say  the  sea  is  beautiful  !  I  do  not 
agree  with  that  entirely.  It  is  true  the  water  is 
blue,  but  that  is  all  you  can  say  for  it ;  it  is  only 
blue  in  calm   weather,  but  in  stormy  weather  it 


36  OFF   NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

appears  to  me  to  be  a  stupid,  insane,  infuriated 
element.  Perhaps  the  sea  is  beautiful,  but  only  to 
those  on  dry  land.  I  could  never  be  fascinated  by 
the  sea. 

October  26th. — The  transport  Malay  broke  some 
of  her  machinery  at  one  o'clock  last  night.  The 
whole  fleet  stopped  and  waited  until  she  had  made 
the  defect  good.  We  remained  on  the  spot  till 
7  a.m.  The  Malay  repaired  engines  and  the  fleet 
proceeded.  We  wasted  six  hours  over  it.  I  count 
every  hour.  The  less  time  we  spend  in  harbour  and 
the  quicker  we  go,  the  sooner  we  shall  arrive  at 
Vladivostok.  In  a  word,  Vladivostok  is  the  goal 
of  our  desires. 

October  2jth. — We  passed  the  Tropic  of  Cancer 
at  4  p.m.,  and  are  going  towards  the  Equator.  We 
are  in  the  tropics,  and  yet  I  cannot  say  that  it  is 
specially  hot  and  airless. 

Our  squadron  going  round  Africa  consists  of 
the  following  ships  :  the  battleships  Suvaroff, 
Alexander,  Borodino,  Orel,  Oslyabya ;  cruisers, 
Dimitry  Donskoi,  Aurora,  Nachimoff ;  transports, 
Kamchatka,  Anadir,  Meteor,  Korea,  Malay,  and 
the  hospital-ship  Orel.  The  Meteor,  Korea,  and 
Malay  are  under  the  merchant  flag ;  and  so  is 
the  Orel,  but  she  is  also  flying  the  Red  Cross. 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  SOAP  37 

We  heard  an  unpleasant  rumour  to-day.  It  is 
said  the  squadron  will  make  a  long  stay  at  Mada- 
gascar and  carry  out  various  exercises.  Can  it 
be  so  ?  This  news  annoys  me.  If  we  are  there  so 
long,  when  shall  we  get  to  Vladivostok  ?  I  console 
myself  with  the  thought  that  this  is  a  clever  fiction. 

The  captain  laid  in  a  reserve  of  white  soap,  which 
dissolves  in  salt  water  (generally  soap  does  not). 
The  fresh  water  is  preserved  for  steaming,  so  you  can 
only  have  a  salt-water  bath  on  board.  My  servant 
brought  me  a  piece  of  this  soap  yesterday.  I  do 
not  know  how  he  obtained  it.  There  is  nearly  ioo 
roubles'  worth  of  it  on  board  the  Suvaroff. 

I  have  very  few  cigarettes  left — only  six  boxes. 
It  is  a  good  thing  you  bought  me  1,000  at  Revel, 
and  that  I  bought  some  at  Libau,  or  I  should  be 
without  them. 

October  28th. — My  servant  is  evidently  attached 
to  me.  He  is  industrious  and  inquisitive.  Just 
after  we  left  Libau  he  saw  a  box  of  pastilles  and 
said,  "  Did  our  barina  [lady]  really  come  to  Libau, 
sir  ?  "  He  came  into  my  cabin  to-day  with  a 
bucket  and  mop,  and  said,  "  Shall  I  interfere  with 
your  worship  if  I  wash  the  deck  ?  " 

It  is  very  probable  that  from  Dakar  we  shall  go 
to  Gaboon.    We  shall  call  at  ports  which  I  have 


38  OFF   NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

never  heard  of  before,  or  if  I  have  it  was  a  very  long 
time  ago — perhaps  at  school. 

I  told  the  ship's  photographer  to  prepare  me  a 
series  of  photographs  which  I  will  send  you.  They 
are  not  very  characteristic,  but  better  ones  are  not 
to  be  had. 

October  2gth. — It  is  very  stuffy  to-day.  One 
perspires  a  good  deal.  Last  night  I  slept  with  only 
a  sheet  over  me,  and  had  nothing  on  but  a  cross. 
Notwithstanding  the  stuffiness,  one  is  obliged  to 
sleep  with  closed  ports  and  deadlights.  In  time 
of  wai  all  superfluous  lights  in  a  ship  are  either 
extinguished  or  covered  over.  If  it  is  so  hot  here, 
it  will  positively  be  hell  at  the  Equator.  The  air 
is  offensive,  being  impregnated  with  steam.  It  is 
damp.  The  drawers  of  the  tables  are  beginning 
to  shut  badly.  They  are  sodden.  Soon  all  metallic 
objects  will  begin  to  rust.  I  am  sitting  in  my 
cabin  with  my  shirt  unbuttoned.  Experienced 
people  say  that  every  one  will  get  prickly  heat. 
This  eruption  appears  in  the  tropics  because  the 
pores  of  the  skin  are  constantly  irritated.  The 
heat  and  stuffiness  are  unbearable.  There  is  no 
wind — we  are  in  a  calm  belt.  The  fans  are  kept 
going  incessantly  on  board.  Every  one  goes  about 
sunburnt  and  sleepy. 


AT  DAKAR  39 

Speed  has  purposely  been  lessened  in  order  to 
get  into  Dakar  to-morrow  morning,  and  not  this 
evening. 

1  think  we  shall  stay  in  Dakar  some  days.  Heavy 
coaling  awaits  us  there — 2,000  tons.  All  the  decks 
will  be  loaded  with  coal. 

Dakar,  Senegambia. 

October  30th. — Just  arrived  at  Dakar.  The  fleet 
is  anchoring. 

The  town  is  situated  partly  on  shore  and  partly 
on  a  small  island. 

To-day  is  the  admiral's  names-day.  They  say 
there  will  be  an  official  dinner. 

The  heat  and  stuffiness  are  fearful.  Perspiration 
pours  off  one.     The  air  is  damp — towels  will  not  dry. 

2  p.m. — I  have  been  on  duty  on  board  the  cruiser 
Admiral  Nachimoff.  There  I  met  an  engineer  whom 
I  knew  at  school.  I  lunched  in  the  Nachimoff,  though 
there  was  an  official  lunch  in  the  Suvaroff.  I  was  not 
present.  A  sister  of  mercy  from  the  Orel  was  there. 
She  is  a  relation  of  the  admiral's.  The  admiral 
has  permitted  communication  with  the  shore  after 
the  coal  has  been  taken  on  board.  We  remain  here 
until  the  evening  of  November  3rd.  All  the  ships 
except  ours  have  begun  to  coal. 

Negroes   in   small   boats   are   rowing   round   the 


40  OFF   NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

fleet.  You  throw  money  into  the  water  for  them 
and  they  dive  for  it.  The  whole  of  their  costume 
consists  of  a  loin-cloth  and  not  a  stitch  more.  They 
are  repulsive — black  with  long,  thin  legs  and  arms. 
They  gave  me  the  impression  of  being  sick,  incapable 
people. 

Apparently,  when  the  Oslyabya  was  at  Tangier, 
she  asked  for  a  barge  and  baskets  for  coaling  from 
Gibraltar.  The  English  purposely  employed  all 
the  barges  themselves,  and  bought  up  all  the  baskets. 
The  Oslyabya  received  nothing. 

5  p.m. — The  French  Governor  has  just  arrived 
in  great  state,  and  explained  that  he  cannot  permit 
us  to  coal.  The  admiral  told  him  that  he  should, 
nevertheless,  continue  to  coal  until  he  had  a  tele- 
gram from  Europe.  They  have  long  ago  begun 
coaling  in  the  other  ships,  and  will  soon  begin  in  us. 
Perhaps  the  Governor  will  announce  that  we  are 
not  to  remain  here.  That  would  be  a  great  surprise 
to  every  one.  Probably  things  are  going  badly 
in  Manchuria — the  French  are  evidently  also  sailing 
with  the  wind.  From  there  (Manchuria)  we  have 
no  decisive  news. 

Evening. — I  hurried  off  my  twenty-second  letter 
to  you  as  the  post  was  going.  It  appears  that 
telegraphing   is    very   expensive    from    here.     The 


OUR  WEAK  SPOT  4 1 

cable  between  Dakar  and  Europe  is  damaged 
somewhere,  so  telegrams  have  to  be  sent  round 
by  America. 

There  is  a  report  that  Stossel  is  wounded  in  the 
leg.  At  first  the  French  allowed  us  to  coal,  and 
then  came  an  order  from  Paris  not  allowing  us  in 
harbour.  Nevertheless,  our  fleet  remains,  and  we 
are  coaling.  All  the  doors  and  scuttles  are  tightly 
closed  to  keep  out  the  coal-dust.  The  stuffiness 
is  dreadful  inside  the  ship.  We  are  tormented  by 
thirst.  Drinks  are  hot  and  unpleasant.  All  the 
same,  one  drinks  incessantly.  I  alone  drank  six 
bottles  of  lemonade  to-day. 

Can  you  guess  what  our  one  topic  of  conversa- 
tion in  the  fleet  is  about  ?  Coal !  It  is  our  weak 
spot.  Our  comings,  our  goings,  our  voyage,  and 
even  our  success  depend  on  coal.  In  order  to 
stimulate  the  men,  they  have  established  prizes, 
which  are  given  to  the  crew  of  the  ship  that  coals 
quickest. 

The  everlasting  conversation  about  coaling  drives 
one  frantic,  still  one  talks  of  it  and  quarrels  about 
it. 

October  31st. — Since  early  this  morning  I  have 
been  round  the  harbour.  Coal-dust  has  penetrated 
everywhere — into  the   cabins,  the   cupboards,  and 


42  OFF   NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

on  to  the  tables.  The  decks  are  clouded  with  dust. 
Every  one  is  so  black  that  you  do  not  recognise 
people  at  once. 

There  is  a  report  that  we  shall  not  call  at  Gaboon. 
Perhaps  it  is  for  the  best,  as  we  shall  proceed  sooner  ; 
besides,  Gaboon  lies  almost  on  the  Equator.  That 
means  it  would  be  somewhat  warm. 

3  p.m. — They  gave  us  ices  for  lunch  to-day  ;  they 
were  steaming  though  cold.  The  heat  is  awful. 
Precautions  are  being  taken  against  sunstrokes. 
There  are  some  indications  that  we  shall  stay  here 
till  Wednesday — i.e.  November  3rd.  If  we  do  not 
go  to  Gaboon,  but  steer  for  the  next  port  on  the 
list,  we  shall  have  a  tremendous  trip. 

Our  admiral  called  on  the  local  commandant 
and  invited  him  to  lunch. 

Just  been  urgently  summoned  on  board  the 
Donskoi. 

November  1st. — Just  returned  from  the  transport 
Malay.     She  is  damaged  below  the  water-line. 

Evening. — At  3  p.m.  Lieutenant  Nelidoff  (son 
of  our  ambassador  at  Paris)  died  from  sunstroke. 
The  deceased  was  a  wonderful  linguist,  knowing 
seven  or  eight  languages.  He  will  be  buried  to- 
morrow. 

Our  officers  have  just  returned  from  the  shore. 


JAPANESE  SPIES  43 

According  to  them  then  is  nothing  interesting  to 
be  seen.  If  I  can  manage  it,  I  shall  go  ashore  to- 
morrow.    I  am  too  tired  to-day. 

November  2nd  (5  p.m.) — I  am  sitting  in  a  restau- 
rant, drinking  lemonade.  How  you  would  have 
laughed  just  now  !  I  asked  the  negro  waiter  for  the 
menu,  and  he  brought  me  cards,  dice,  and  a  board 
covered  with  cloth.  There  is  nothing  to  do  on  shore. 
I  shall  go  on  board  by  the  first  boat.  They  are 
burying  Nelidoff.     I  hear  the  volleys. 

I  returned  from  the  shore  by  the  seven  o'clock 
boat.  Our  doctor  distinguished  himself.  He  tore 
some  fruit  from  a  tree  and  ate  it.  Scarcely  had  he 
returned  on  board  when  he  was  seized  with  colic 
and  vomiting. 

There  are  some  Japanese  here.  Our  officers  saw 
two  of  them.     Evidently  they  are  spies. 

We  leave  to-morrow,  and  I  go  on  board  the  Donskoi 
in  the  morning.  I  shall  scarcely  have  time  when  I 
return  to  add  two  or  three  words  to  this  letter  before 
the  post  goes.  Our  trip  will  be  a  long  one — about 
ten  days. 

I  wandered  about  Dakar  and  thought  of  you  all 
the  time — with  what  curiosity  you  would  regard 
all  these  unfamiliar  pictures,  the  niggers,  negresses, 
children,  and  lastly  even  the  Europeans !     Every- 


44  OFF   NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

thing  here  is  so  original.  Little  children  run  about 
the  streets  without  any  signs  of  clothing.  All  the 
natives  are  bedecked  with  amulets.  They  are  very 
lazy  and  obtrusive.  One  of  them  came  to  the  captain 
and  begged  for  money.  The  latter  said  to  him, 
"  Look  here,  you  do  nothing,  so  you  have  no  money." 
The  nigger  fired  back,  "  You  have  lots  of  money — do 
you  do  anything  ?  " 

There  are  few  Europeans  here,  and  very  few 
elderly  ones  among  them.  After  they  have  passed 
their  youth  here  they  leave  the  colony.  The  climate 
is  said  to  be  bad.  An  epidemic  of  yellow  fever  is 
raging.  You  may  imagine  that  it  is  impossible  to 
buy  fruit. 

The  niggers  to  whom  we  threw  coins  into  the 
water  are  already  selling  them,  offering  them  back  to 
the  officers,  as  Russian  money  is  not  accepted  here. 

Many  of  the  natives  are  rather  picturesquely 
dressed  in  white  and  coloured  tunics.  The  niggers 
go  about  with  sunshades,  but  all  are  barelegged. 
The  negresses  sometimes  wear  European  hats  and 
garments  something  like  dressing  gowns.  They 
carry  their  babies  on  their  backs.  Arabs  are  also 
to  be  met  with  here. 

The  religions  are  Catholic,  Mohammedan,  and 
idolatrous. 


NEWS  OF   PORT  ARTHUR  45 

What  a  trade  the  town  is  doing  since  the 
fleet  anchored !  Many  articles  are  doubled  in 
value,  and  others  cannot  be  obtained.  The 
post-office  is  original.  The  clerks  (niggers)  sit  in 
the  building,  and  the  public  stand  in  the  street 
and  transact  business  with  them  through  the 
windows. 

November  3rd. — I  have  been  all  over  the  fleet 
this  morning.  I  went  on  board  the  Donskoi, 
Oslyabya,  Alexander,  and  Borodino.  About  3  p.m. 
we  weighed  anchor.  I  do  not  know  if  we  are 
going  to  Gaboon.  There  is  news  here  that  the 
storming  of  Port  Arthur  on  October  20th  was 
repulsed  with  heavy  losses  to  the  Japanese. 

November  4th. — I  went  to  bed  early  last  night, 
leaving  my  port  open.  Early  this  morning,  when 
they  were  scrubbing  decks,  water  came  in  on  to  the 
table  and  sprinkled  me  a  little.  I  jumped  up  and 
closed  the  port. 

Last  night  they  changed  from  one  means  of 
steering  to  another,  for  practice,  in  the  Suvaroff. 
Something  in  her  was  not  adjusted,  and  she  very 
nearly  rammed  the  Orel.  Thank  God  all  passed  off 
successfully. 

9  p.m. — The  wardroom  officers  bought  some  birds 
at  Dakar,  but  did  not  buy  food  for  them.     They 


46  OFF   NORTH-WEST   AFRICA 

fed  them  with  anything  they  could  find,  and  now 
they  are  beginning  to  die. 

Usually  the  band  plays  at  lunch  on  holidays. 
To-day  they  suddenly  began  playing  at  dinner. 

At  meals  we  drink  more  than  we  eat.  We  suffer 
from  dreadful  thirst  and  drink  pure  water,  mineral 
waters,  red  and  white  wine,  beer,  and  different  kinds 
of  lemon  juices.  The  admiral  suffers  most  of  all 
from  the  heat.  During  the  coaling,  when  all  doors 
and  ports  were  closed,  the  temperature  in  his  cabin 
reached  450  R.  There  are  now  270  in  my  cabin, 
with  the  port  open  and  the  fans  going  which  drive 
in  the  fresh  air. 

Some  of  the  officers  have  bought  themselves  mats 
and  sleep  on  them  in  the  wardroom.  The  crew 
sleep  on  the  upper  deck. 

Last  night  something  happened  to  the  engines 
of  the  transport  Malay.  All  the  fleet  stopped  and 
waited  for  her. 

About  4  a.m.  the  Donskoi  signalled  that  sand 
had  got  into  her  Kingston  valves.  That  means  the 
ship  had  passed  a  shallow  spot,  although  the  fleet 
was  steaming  90  versts  (sixty  miles)  from  land.  After 
the  mishap  to  the  Donskoi  they  went  further  out 
to  sea. 

It  will  doubtless  be  very  hot  to-day.     Do  you 


WHALES   SIGHTED  47 

know,  the  floor  of  my  cabin  is  so  hot  that  I  can 
feel  it  through  the  soles  of  my  boots. 

7  p.m. — What  awful  heat !  Again  I  have  to  keep 
the  port  closed,  as  the  sea  is  splashing  in. 

One  of  the  Borodino's  engines  is  damaged.  We 
stopped  and  waited  for  her.  She  is  now  steaming 
with  one  engine. 

Storms  are  visible  passing  away  from  us  in  three 
places.  The  clouds  are  black  and  lightning  flashes. 
It  is  close. 

November  yth. — Something  is  wrong  with  the 
Borodino.  The  other  engine  does  not  work  now. 
She  gets  hot  bearings  from  time  to  time.  We  all 
stopped  and  waited  for  her.  We  are  losing  time 
over  all  these  mishaps,  and  are  losing  it  needlessly. 
The  cruise  of  our  fleet  round  Africa  has  no  precedent 
in  history. 

Only  by  8  a.m.  did  the  Borodino  put  right  her 
engines.  The  fleet  is  now  pursuing  its  customary 
way. 

7  p.m. — I  saw  two  whales  for  the  first  time 
yesterday.  There  is  nothing  to  look  at  except  sea 
and  sky. 

Sometimes  the  men  on  watch  collapse  from 
the  heat  and  have  to  be  carried  below.  There 
are    6i°     R.      at    the    top    of    the    engine-room 


48  OFF   NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

compartment,    and   we    have  not   yet  passed   the 
hottest  place. 

They  are  preparing  to  celebrate  the  crossing  of 
the  line.  The  ceremony  usually  takes  the  form  of 
a  play  given  by  the  crew,  and  the  immersion  of  all 
those  who  are  crossing  the  line  for  the  first  time. 

Twenty  minutes  ago  something  happened  to  our 
dynamo  engine,  and  all  the  electric  lights  went  out. 
The  ship  was  steeped  in  absolute  darkness.  Now 
all  is  repaired. 

My  servant  has  just  brought  a  white  tunic  and 
trousers,  which  he  washed  himself.  They  have 
turned  out  very  well.  "  I  don't  think  a  washer- 
woman could  have  done  it  better,"  he  said.  "  There 
is  one  drawback — they  are  not  starched.  But  no 
matter  ;   that's  a  trifle." 

November  8th  (n  p.m.). — As  soon  as  ever  night 
falls  the  same  old  story  begins.  From  8  p.m.  until 
now  the  fleet  stopped.  We  are  only  going  at  five 
knots.  The  unfortunate  Malay  has  again  delayed 
us.  Something  broke  in  her  engine  and  the  pump 
refused  to  work.  I  am  very  anxious  about  her.  At 
Dakar  she  sprang  a  leak.  I  saw  it,  and  reported 
that  she  could  proceed  without  danger,  working  her 
pump.  Just  imagine  it  !  The  only  pump  she  has 
is  broken.     She  has  nothing  with  which  she  can 


HINDERED   BY   THE  "MALAY"  49 

get  rid  of  the  water,  and  there  are  no  docks  near. 
At  the  present  moment  the  Roland  is  towing  the 
Malay,  as  one  of  her  engines  is  broken  and  a  blade 
of  the  screw  of  the  other  engine  is  broken  off. 
Briefly,  the  Malay  is  unable  to  steam  by  herself. 
We  are  still  far  from  Gaboon.  Again  there  is  a 
great  delay.  Thank  God  the  sea  is  calm !  If  it 
were  rough,  the  Malay's  situation  would  be  very 
dangerous.  As  it  was,  the  Roland  took  a  long  time 
passing  the  tow-rope  to  her. 

November  gth. — The  Roland  is  still  towing  the 
Malay.  As  soon  as  they  are  able  to  coal  her,  she 
will  be  sent  back.  She  will  not  then  hinder  and 
delay  us. 

When  we  were  at  lunch  to-day  they  signalled  to 
the  admiral,  saying  that  the  Kamchatka  had  gone 
out  of  her  course  and  signalled,  "  Dangerously 
damaged.  Cannot  proceed."  Luckily,  it  turned 
out  that  the  damage  was  trifling,  and  she  was  able 
to  continue. 

What  a  number  of  changes  in  climate  we  shall 
have  had  if  we  reach  Vladivostok  !  We  left  Russia 
in  very  cold  weather.  Gradually  it  became  hotter 
and  hotter,  till  the  heat  was  intense  ;  then  it  will 
become  cold  again  ;  then  hot ;  and  finally  it  will  be 
very  cold,  as  we  shall  reach  Vladivostok  in  winter. 

4 


50  OFF   NORTH-WEST  AFRICA 

November  10th  (night). — Again  a  bother  with  the 
Borodino.  Something  went  wrong  with  her  machin- 
ery. It  was  soon  put  right,  but,  nevertheless,  time 
was  lost  over  it.     The  Malay  is  still  being  towed. 

Have  found  out  about  Gaboon.  The  fleet  will 
not  go  within  thirty  versts  of  it. 

All  communications  with  Gaboon  will  be  via  the 
Roland.  Of  course,  no  one  will  be  allowed  to  land, 
and  we  shall  all  kick  our  heels  on  board.  Our  ships 
cannot  go  nearer,  owing  to  shallows  and  banks. 

The  Meteor  signalled  to-day  that  one  of  her  stokers 
has  struck  work  and  refuses  to  keep  up  the  necessary 
amount  of  steam.  The  captain  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  deal  with  him  himself.  The  crew  of  the  Meteor 
are  volunteers. 

I  have  been  sitting  all  day  long  over  plans  and 
calculations.  The  scuttles  were  open,  and  now  and 
then  waves  came  splashing  over  my  table.  I  went 
to  the  ship's  ice-chamber,  and  it  seemed  cold  to  me 
after  the  heat  which  reigns  every  where. 

The  day  passed  strangely.  I  hardly  went  out  of 
my  cabin,  and  got  through  a  lot  of  work.  I  must  go 
and  air  myself,  as  my  head  has  grown  heavy. 


CHAPTER   III 

CROSSING   THE  LINE 

November  13th  (10  p.m.). — Off  Gaboon. 

This  is  how  it  has  all  turned  out  !  We  stopped 
this  morning  and  anchored.  No  one  knows  where 
we  are  or  where  Gaboon  lies.  We  have  sent  the 
Roland  north  to  the  coast  to  find  a  lighthouse  and 
Gaboon.     We  see  land,  but  the  place  is  unknown. 

I  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  shark.  When  we  were 
weighing  anchor  at  Dakar,  a  cutter  approached  with 
some  important  documents  (perhaps  it  was  the  post). 
In  the  hurry  of  departure  the  papers  were  not  taken 
on  board. 

The  navigators,  including  the  flagship's  navigator, 
were  confused.  It  proved  that  we  were  thirty  miles 
(fifty  versts)  below  Gaboon.  We  are  now  going 
back  to  Gaboon,  and  we  shall  have  already  twice 
crossed  the  Equator.  The  celebrations  only  take 
place  at  the  first  crossing.  When  we  strike  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  we  shall  have  crossed  it  a  third  time, 

5< 


52  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

6  p.m. — We  are  anchored.  A  French  boat  has 
just  arrived  bringing  some  dispatches.  In  coming 
the  boat  was  nearly  stove  in,  as  it  caught  in  our 
wake.  Luckily  it  escaped,  and  only  the  rudder  was 
broken. 

The  rats  are  making  themselves  felt.  Three 
nights  ago  a  rat  bit  the  first  lieutenant  in  the  foot, 
and  last  night  gnawed  off  one  of  his  corns.  What 
do  you  think  of  that  ? 

The  French  officer  dined  with  the  admiral.  He 
does  not  know  what  is  going  on  at  the  war.  Even 
the  telegraphic  agencies'  telegrams  are  not  received  at 
Gaboon.  A  fine  town  this  !  And  there  are  many 
like  it  in  the  colony.  I  don't  think  we  should  find 
a  town  like  it  in  Russia.  Not  even  the  governor 
of  this  place  gets  telegrams.  There  are  only  about 
seven  hundred  Europeans  here  ;  the  rest  are  negroes, 
amongst  whom  are  cannibals.  During  the  last  two 
months  the  cannibals  have  eaten  two  Europeans. 

They  say  that  an  English  steamer  will  arrive  to- 
morrow, bringing  us  newspapers  of  October  27th 
(Old  Style).  On  the  16th  or  17th  the  steamer  will 
go  back  to  Europe,  taking  our  mails. 

As  we  have  no  news  from  the  war,  the  wardroom 
officers  of  the  Suvaroff  have  asked  the  admiral  per- 
mission  to  send  a  prepaid  telegram  to  the  Novoe 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  PETERSBURG      53 

Vremya,  asking  for  news.  The  admiral  refused 
the  request,  but  will  wire  to  Admiral  Wirenius, 
who  will  send  us  the  latest  intelligence  from  the 
Far  East. 

The  admiral  has  received  a  telegram  from  Peters- 
burg advising  him  not  to  stop  at  Gaboon,  but  go  to 
some  other  place,  as  the  French  wish  our  fleet  to 
leave  this  port.  They  point  out  a  more  convenient 
bay,  and  promise  to  give  us  pilots.  Nevertheless, 
our  fleet  will  stay  here  as  long  as  necessary. 

What  was  the  end  of  the  shooting  affair  in  the 
German  Ocean,  near  Hull  ? 

They  say  the  astonishment  of  the  local  Europeans 
is  very  great.  First  one  steamer  arrived  "  for 
provisions,"  then  a  second,  then  a  third,  and  finally 
our  fleet.  No  one  ever  expected  that  we  should 
call  at  Gaboon.  It  is  just  as  well,  perhaps.  The 
more  our  movements  are  known,  the  more  un- 
favourable orders  we  might  have  from  the  French 
Government. 

November  14th  (n  a.m.). — Have  already  been  on 
board  the  Orel  and  Alexander.  At  two  o'clock  shall 
go  on  board  the  Nachimoff,  Borodino,  and  Meteor, 
which  are  badly  damaged  and  leak. 

The  Governor  has  sent  us  a  present  of  fruit  and 
vegetables.     At  lunch  we  had  pineapples,  bananas, 


54  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

mangoes,  and  something  else.     Pineapples  are  the 
nicest. 

On  board  the  Alexander  they  accidentally  carried 
off  a  negro  from  Dakar,  whom  they  have  landed. 
He  says  the  negroes  here  eat  their  dead,  as  cattle 
are  scarce  and  meat  is  dear.  Before  they  eat  them 
they  cut  off  the  hands  and  feet  and  put  them  in  a 
bog  to  swell.  The  flesh  is  then  more  tender  and 
tasty. 

They  do  not  risk  sending  divers  down  here,  as 
there  are  too  many  sharks. 

The  Governor  sent  some  other  fruits  besides. 
No  one  knows  what  they  are — either  grass  or 
vegetables.  They  have  received  a  telegram  in  the 
private  transports  saying  that  Kuropatkin  has 
driven  the  Japanese  back  to  the  coast.  That 
would  be  good  news,  but  it  is  difficult  to  believe. 

ii  p.m. — The  vegetation  here  is  very  rich,  judg- 
ing by  the  reports  of  those  who  have  been  ashore. 
A  "  regular  botanical  garden."  A  moth  flew  on 
board — such  a  size,  I  am  afraid  you  will  not  believe 
me,  but  it  was  nearly  a  foot  !  We  saw  a  turtle  in 
the  sea,  2\  feet  long.  The  Frenchmen  on  shore 
showed  us  a  dead  boa-constrictor  18  feet  long. 

The  officers  who  went  ashore  called  on  the  king 
of   the   place.     He   was   asleep.     They   woke   him 


AT  GABOON  55 

without  ceremony,  looked  at  him  and  his  wife,  and 
went  away.  He  is  just  a  wild  nigger,  like  his  sub- 
jects. 

I  told  you  about  the  vegetables  the  Governor 
sent  us.  We  tipped  the  man  who  brought  them  a 
pound  sterling.  He  seemed  much  confused,  accepted 
the  money,  and  then  did  not  know  what  to  do  with 
it.     I  think  he  will  spend  it  on  our  wounded. 

November  15th. — They  say  there  was  a  very 
violent  storm  last  night.  I  heard  nothing,  and 
slept  through  it  all. 

The  officers  have  returned  from  Libreville,  where 
they  went  at  nine  this  morning.  They  relate  many 
interesting  things,  and  are  in  rapture  over  the 
vegetation.  They  have  brought  some  fruit  and  a 
couple  of  parrots.  They  bought  one  of  the  parrots 
for  ten  francs,  and  the  other  was  sent  to  the  admiral 
by  a  Jesuit  father  with  the  fruit,  as  a  gift. 

The  same  man  who  was  given  the  pound,  out  of 
kindness  acted  as  guide  to  the  officers.  When 
taking  leave  he  feared  a  repetition  of  the  tip,  and 
kept  on  repeating  that  "  he  wanted  nothing." 

The  officers  paid  another  visit  to  the  king.  He 
received  them  in  an  English  naval  uniform  and 
cocked  hat.  They  were  photographed  with  him 
and  his  wives.     One  of  them  was  taken  arm-in-arm 


56  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

with  the  queen-dowager,  who  begged  for  money. 
Some  of  the  court  ladies  were  drunk.  It  is  two 
days  since  the  king,  who  is  seventy-two,  succeeded 
his  brother  on  the  throne.  Margarita,  the  eldest 
lady-in-waiting  and  a  most  energetic  old  negress, 
runs  about  naked.  For  that  matter,  the  inhabitants 
in  general  do  not  trouble  about  completeness  of 
costume.  The  natives  respectfully  greet  all  Euro- 
peans. It  is  a  curious  monarchy,  under  the  pro- 
tection of  France ;  more  truly  it  is  her  colony. 

To-morrow  there  will  be  something  in  the  nature 
of  a  coronation  on  shore.  The  dead  king  is  at 
present  lying  in  a  box  under  lock  and  key.  One  of 
the  officers  sat  on  this  box,  to  the  consternation  of 
the  present  king  and  his  court  minister.  The 
latter  was  dressed  in  a  cocked  hat,  a  necktie  round 
his  bare  neck,  cuffs,  sword,  and  frock-coat,  but 
without  linen  or  trousers — a  beautiful  figure,  thus 
attired,  at  the  reception  of  the  guests. 

November  15th. — You  can  imagine  what  sort  of  a 
town  is  Libreville.  The  Governor  sent  the  admiral 
the  latest  news  from  the  papers.  They  are  dated 
October  2nd — the  day  of  our  departure  from 
Libau. 

November  16th. — I  did  not  succeed  in  finishing 
my  last  letter,  as  the  boat  left  for  the  shore.     In  it 


A   CAPTAIN   REPRIMANDED  57 

went  the  last  post  which  can  go  by  the  steamer 
leaving  for  Europe  to-morrow  morning. 

From  sunset  to  dawn  the  admiral  has  forbidden 
communication  between  the  ships  and  the  shore. 
Yesterday  at  10  p.m.  a  cutter  from  the  Donskoi, 
in  the  harbour  without  special  leave  from  the  admiral, 
was  detained.  The  officer  of  the  watch  was  put 
under  arrest  for  this  for  three  days.  This  evening  a 
boat  from  the  same  ship  with  three  officers,  also  in 
the  harbour  without  special  leave  from  the  admiral, 
was  likewise  detained.  In  to-day's  orders  the  captain 
of  the  Donskoi  is  reprimanded,  and  the  three  officers 
who  were  in  the  boat  are  to  be  tried.  They  are  to 
be  dismissed  to  the  steamer  leaving  here  for  Europe 
to-morrow  and  will  go  to  Russia.  As  you  see, 
disobedience  is  severely  punished  on  board. 

9  p.m. — To-day  a  sub-lieutenant  of  the  Alexander 
told  me  about  the  negro  whom  they  took  from 
Dakar.  When  his  boat  shoved  off  from  the 
Alexander  he  began  to  storm,  shout  threats  and 
curses  at  the  boatmen,  stamp  on  the  deck  with 
his  bare  feet,  etc.  When  he  saw  that  he  could 
not  get  away  from  the  Alexander  he  sat  on  the 
turret  and  wept  burning  tears.  The  crew  sur- 
rounded him  and  looked  on,  laughing  at  this 
healthy,    bellowing    lad.     Seeing    that    there   was 


58  CROSSING  THE   LINE 

nothing  to  be  done,  he  grew  resigned.  It  appeared 
he  was  very  jealous  and  uneasy  about  his  wife. 
Very  soon  the  crew  made  friends  with  him,  and 
taught  him  several  Russian  words.  His  memory 
was  phenomenal ;  in  a  few  days  he  learnt  the  names 
of  nearly  half  the  crew.  The  soles  of  his  feet 
seemed  very  funny  to  the  sailors.  They  are  half 
white,  as  they  are  in  all  negroes.  On  the  trip  the 
officers  collected  60  roubles  for  him.  He  left 
exceedingly  satisfied.  He  serves  in  a  shop,  and, 
being  rather  civilised,  speaks  French  fluently. 

November  lyth  (7  p.m.). — Half  an  hour  ago  I 
returned  from  the  shore,  where  I  had  gone  in  the 
Roland. 

We  reached  Libreville  at  8  a.m.  About  ten  we 
reached  the  town,  if  this  settlement  can  be  so  called. 
We  could  not  approach  close  to  it  in  the  Roland,  so 
got  into  boats.  I  went  with  the  officers  of  the 
Borodino,  and  was  with  them  all  the  time.  First 
we  went  to  a  restaurant  for  refreshment.  There 
were  six  of  us.  They  gave  us  three  bottles  of 
lemonade,  a  little  bread,  fish,  meat,  peas,  cheese, 
and  fruit,  and  charged  fifty-five  francs.  We  left  the 
restaurant  and  went  along  an  avenue  of  palm-trees. 
We  went  to  a  German  factory,  to  the  Catholic 
Church,  to  two  or  three  little  villages,  and  to  the 


WE  CALL  ON   THE  KING  59 

plantations.  There  was  not  much  time,  and  we 
turned  back.  We  called  on  the  king,  then  went 
to  a  shop,  then  to  the  quay  and  back  to  the  Roland. 
Although  I  was  only  five  hours  ashore,  I  was  fairly 
tired,  probably  from  not  being  accustomed  to 
exercise.  Several  photographs  of  our  party  were 
taken.  We  were  taken  with  the  negroes  serving 
in  the  French  army,  with  negresses  in  the  villages, 
in  the  plantation,  and  in  the  King's  ground  under 
a  tree  with  a  small  negress  who  ran  after  us. 

The  king  came  out  and  placed  a  chair  for  each 
of  us,  and  sat  down  in  an  armchair  on  the  terrace. 
He  and  all  his  courtiers  were  dressed.  A  nigger 
all  covered  with  grass  and  with  a  semblance  of  a  mask 
over  his  face  (not  the  slightest  bit  of  his  body  could 
be  seen)  danced  a  Tam-tam,  accompanied  by  savage 
music.  Our  time  was  short.  We  rose,  and  the 
king  shook  hands  with  us  all.  By  this  time  many 
officers  had  gathered  at  his  palace.  They  wandered 
into  all  the  corners  of  his  house.  The  dowager- 
queen  sat  in  a  hammock  drunk,  and  tearfully 
begged  for  money.  While  rambling  through  the 
plantations  I  bought  a  lot  of  pineapples,  bananas, 
and  cocoa-nuts. 

The  plantation  where  we  sat  eating  fruit  belongs 
to  a    Frenchwoman,  a  native   of   this  place.     We 


60  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

thought  her  house  was  a  restaurant,  and  uncere- 
moniously demanded  lemonade,  water,  etc.  It 
then  appeared  that  it  was  a  private  dwelling.  The 
Frenchwoman  was  very  friendly — told  us  about 
herself  and  her  children,  who  were  being  educated 
in  France.  She  sent  two  negroes  to  carry  our 
purchases  to  the  pier. 

How  rich  the  vegetation  is  in  this  place  !  You 
seem  to  be  walking  in  a  botanical  garden.  All 
around  are  palms,  bananas,  lemons,  mimosa,  lianas, 
mangoes,  baobabs,  and  wonderful  flowers.  The 
trees  are  immense  and  lofty. 

On  our  return  we  called  at  a  shop  for  drink.  They 
gave  us  cider.  If  you  had  been  here,  what  would 
you  not  have  bought  !  We  purchased  all  sorts  of 
rubbish — negro  instruments,  teeth  of  wild  animals, 
poisoned  spears,  weapons,  etc.  In  the  town  we  met 
the  negro  who  was  brought  by  the  Alexander.  He 
now  answers  to  the  name  of  "  Andrew  Andrewitch," 
which  was  given  him  by  the  crew. 

November  18th. — I  woke  early  this  morning.  I 
had  a  trip  to  make  to  the  private  transports. 

5  p.m. — Leaving  Gaboon. 

About  an  hour  ago  we  weighed  anchor.  Our 
destination  is  unknown. 

To-day  on  board  the  Alexander,  which  is  astern 


NEPTUNE   PAYS   US  A   VISIT  6l 

of  the  Suvaroff,  they  celebrated  the  crossing  of  the 
line.  We  could  see  how  they  capered  and  splashed 
water  about.  In  the  Orel  something  has  happened 
to  the  electrical  steering  gear,  but  she  is  steaming 
and  does  not  detain  the  fleet. 

November  igth. — At  9  a.m.  we  began  to  celebrate 
crossing  the  line  on  board.  Neptune,  Venus,  a 
navigator,  sub-lieutenants,  Russian  peasant-women, 
devils,  barbers,  and  tritons  arrived  on  field  gun- 
carriages  drawn  by  black  naked  people.  All  this 
fine  company  came  from  the  stern  of  the  ship, 
accompanied  by  buglers  and  to  the  sound  of  a 
march,  played  by  the  band,  which  was  stationed 
forward.  They  approached  the  fore-turret  and 
climbed  on  to  it.  The  audience  took  up  their  places 
in  the  bows,  on  the  bridges,  turrets,  masts,  yards, 
and  crosstrees.  The  admiral,  captain,  and  officers 
stood  on  the  bridge.  The  actors  were  all  half  naked, 
and  were  painted  in  the  most  varied  colours — black, 
green,  red,  yellow,  blue,  etc.  Neptune  had  his 
trident  and  a  great  beard  of  tow.  The  navigator 
had  a  chronometer,  binoculars,  and  a  sextant.  The 
peasant-woman  had  a  baby,  which  was  represented 
by  the  fox-terrier.  When  the  baby  was  supposed 
to  cry,  they  twisted  the  dog's  tail  to  make  him 
howl. 


62  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

The  actors  played  well.  Near  the  turret  was  a 
huge  bath,  made  of  canvas  and  filled  with  water. 
When  the  play  was  over,  they  turned  the  hose  on  to 
every  one,  from  the  admiral  down  to  the  sailors. 
The  actors  were  first  thrown  into  the  bath,  and  then 
the  rest  of  the  ship's  company.  After  being  ducked, 
their  faces  were  lathered  with  a  huge  brush  dipped 
in  whiting,  and  they  were  shaved  with  a  very  large 
razor  (two  and  a  half  feet  long),  made  very  cleverly 
from  a  piece  of  wood.  The  water  in  the  bath  was 
clean  at  the  beginning,  but  after  the  actors  who  were 
painted  had  been  ducked,  it  turned  into  God  knows 
what  colour.  Nearly  all  the  officers,  the  captain,  and 
the  flag-captain  were  ducked  and  shaved.  I  and 
several  others  escaped  the  bath ;  nevertheless,  I  had 
not  a  dry  spot  on  me.  Any  one  who  hid  was  hunted 
out  and  ducked.  The  messman  shut  himself  up  in 
his  cabin.  They  could  not  get  at  him,  so  they  re- 
moved the  deck-plate  above  it  and  poured  water  in. 
The  messman  at  last,  to  save  his  things,  came  out  and 
was  thrown  into  the  bath.  Even  the  chaplain  did 
not  escape  the  same  fate.  It  was  a  good  thing  for 
those  who  fell  in  feet  foremost.  When  it  happened 
the  other  way,  their  heads  were  pushed  under  and 
their  legs  held  up.  One  of  the  dogs  who  was  thrown 
into  the  water  climbed  out  on  to  the  nearest  bitts, 


GOING  TO  GREAT  FISH   BAY  63 

and  looking  at  the  people  struggling  near  him,  raised 
a  deafening  howl. 

The  crew  evidently  enjoyed  their  holiday.  It  was 
a  great  diversion  for  them,  as  they  had  not  been 
ashore  since  we  left  Revel. 

About  four  o'clock  something  went  wrong  in  the 
Malay.  An  officer  was  sent  to  replace  the  captain. 
All  the  fleet  stopped  for  the  transfer  of  the  officer 
from  the  Suvaroff  to  the  Malay. 

The  fleet  is  now  going  to  Great  Fish  Bay,  which 
belongs  to  Portugal.  If  for  any  reason  we  cannot 
call  there,  we  shall  steer  for  Angra  Pequena  (under 
the  protection  of  Germany). 

November  20th  (7  p.m.). — We  had  vespers  on 
board.  The  service  pleases  me,  especially  in  the 
ship.  Though  around  one  are  only  the  faces  of 
officers  and  men  all  dressed  in  white,  and  though 
the  acolytes  and  choir  are  barefooted,  the  chants 
and  intoning  remind  me  of  dear,  far-distant  Russia. 

November  21st. — It  is  beginning  to  be  less  hot. 
The  greatest  heat,  or  more  correctly  closeness,  was 
at  Dakar.  Now  it  is  fairly  tolerable.  When  we 
reach  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  we  shall  have  to  put 
on  ordinary  uniform,  and  perhaps  greatcoats.  They 
say  it  will  be  very  hot  and  damp  in  the  Indian 
Ocean. 


64  CROSSING   THE  LINE 

All  the  crews  in  the  fleet  have  begun  to  fast,  by 
order  of  the  admiral.  Do  you  know  how  they  fast  ? 
They  eat  their  food  as  usual,  only  they  go  to  church. 

If  the  reckonings  are  correct,  and  all  goes  smoothly, 
then  by  the  end  of  January  or  the  beginning  of 
February  our  fleet  will  be  near  the  shores  of  Japan. 
This  will  mean  that  there  will  be  only  about  two 
months  more  of  the  wearisome,  monotonous  life 
which  we  are  all  leading.  It  will  not  be  long  before 
we  join  the  ships  that  went  by  the  other  way. 
Much  depends  on  the  position  of  the  Port  Arthur 
and  Vladivostok  fleets,  as  well  as  of  Port  Arthur 
and  Vladivostok  themselves.  It  also  depends  on 
how  matters  stand  with  Kuropatkin  at  the  time  of 
our  arrival  in  the  East. 

Judging  by  descriptions,  Great  Fish  Bay  is  not 
an  important  place.  The  settlement  consists  of 
seven  houses,  two  of  which  are  uninhabited.  It 
is  surrounded  by  the  desert.  There  is  no  water, 
so  it  has  to  be  brought  from  a  distance.  Fish  are 
plentiful.  It  is  a  very  good  anchorage.  We 
shall  probably  be  there  to-morrow  morning. 

It  is  cooler  now.  In  my  cabin  there  are  24°  R. 
The  drawers  of  the  table  can  be  pulled  out  once 
more. 

November  2yd. — The  temperature   continues   to 


AT  GREAT  FISH   BAY  65 

fall.  In  the  open  at  present  there  are  only  140  R. 
They  count  on  arriving  at  the  anchorage  at  twelve 
o'clock.  We  are  now  going  further  from  Port 
Arthur, but  after  doubling  the  Cape  shall  approach  it. 
The  voyage  from  Tangier  to  Port  Arthur  is  about 
the  same  as  the  voyage  from  the  Cape  to  Port 
Arthur.  What  a  much  longer  distance  we  have 
come  by  going  round  Africa  ! 

1.50  p.m. — We  have  arrived  at  Great  Fish  Bay. 
It  is  not  particularly  pretty.  On  one  side  the  shore 
is  high  and  jagged,  and  on  the  other  it  is  flat.  There 
are  small  houses  in  several  places  on  the  low-lying 
shore.  From  the  ship  they  can  hardly  be  seen, 
even  with  a  telescope.  The  shore  is  sandy.  No 
doubt  there  is  neither  post  nor  telegraph  station 
here.  Wherever  one  looks  there  is  sand — nothing 
but  sand. 

A  Portuguese  gunboat  has  just  passed  the  Suvaroff. 
(Her  name  is  Limpopo.)  She  is  a  very  small  and 
insignificant  ship.  She  was  anchored  far  out  in  the 
bay,  and  has  now  gone  no  doubt  to  acquaint  the 
authorities  that  our  fleet  has  arrived  and  anchored 
at  Great  Fish  Bay. 

This  will  be  a  surprise  for  the  Portuguese.  We 
do  not,  however,  stay  here  for  long.  To-morrow 
evening  we  get  up  anchor. 

5 


66  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

4  p.m. — It  appears  that  the  Portuguese  gunboat, 
Limpopo,  went  round  the  fleet  and  stopped  near  the 
Suvaroff.  Her  captain  came  to  the  admiral  with 
explanations.  I  do  not  yet  know  what  he  said, 
but  it  can  be  nothing  pleasant  for  us.  Yesterday, 
before  the  fleet  arrived,  the  gunboat  compelled  one 
of  our  colliers  to  put  to  sea  under  a  threat  of  firing 
on  her.  The  moment  the  fleet  arrived  the  colliers 
re-occupied  the  places  assigned  them  by  the  admiral. 
They  say  the  admiral  assured  the  commander  of 
the  Portuguese  gunboat — or,  more  correctly,  led 
him  to  suppose — that  the  fleet  was  four  miles 
from  the  shore  ;  that  is,  that  it  was  in  neutral 
waters. 

Amongst  other  things,  the  Portuguese  stated  that 
it  was  known  that  our  ships  would  call  at  Great 
Fish  Bay.  Curious  how  this  could  have  been  known 
at  Lisbon,  where  the  arrangement  to  send  a  man- 
of-war  here  was  made.  Probably  they  were  in- 
formed by  the  English,  who  jealously  watch  every 
movement  of  our  fleet.  The  hospital-ship  Orel  has 
left,  and  will  call  at  Capetown. 

We  shall  go  to  Angra  Pequena  from  here.  The 
Germans  (to  whom  it  belongs)  call  it  Lubevitz  Bay. 
It  is  situated  one  thousand  versts  from  here.  We 
leave  this  to-morrow  at  two  o'clock. 


PORTUGUESE  IMPUDENCE  67 

November  23rd. — At  anchor  in  Great  Fish  Bay. 
An  hour  ago  I  gave  my  letter  to  you  to  be  sent  to 
Europe  by  one  of  the  steamers  that  is  returning. 
The  captains  of  the  steamers  had  been  on  shore. 
They  say  that  the  beach  is  strewn  with  lovely  shells 
and  crowded  with  red  flamingoes.  The  captain  of 
the  Portuguese  gunboat  told  the  captains  of  the 
colliers  that  he  would  forbid  any  attempt  on  their 
part  to  coal  the  fleet.  What  naivete' — or  rather, 
what  impudence  ! 

I  have  ordered  them  to  callme  at  6  a.m. to-morrow, 
in  order  to  go  to  several  ships. 

November  24th. — From  Great  Fish  Bay  to  Angra 
Pequena.  I  could  not  sit  down  and  write  to  you  all 
day.  Somehow,  everything  went  wrong.  Just  as  I 
seated  myself  I  was  called  away.  I  was  on  board 
the  Borodino  to-day.  I  saw  some  Libreville  photo- 
graphs. They  are  very  small ;  you  cannot  make 
out  the  faces. 

At  four  o'clock  all  our  fleet  began  to  weigh  anchor. 
Two  hours  later  the  Malay  hoisted  a  signal  that 
something  had  happened  to  her  rudder.  The  Roland 
was  ordered  to  take  her  in  tow.  The  hospital-ship 
Orel  is  also  going  with  us.  Whales  and  albatrosses 
are  seen  more  and  more  frequently.  The  albatrosses 
fly  a  tremendous  distance  from  the  land,  and  are 


68  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

very  large  ;  sometimes  they  measure  sixteen  to 
seventeen  feet  across  the  wings. 

Life  on  board  is  monotonous.  One  day  is  like 
another.  You  live  in  the  past  (at  all  events,  I  do), 
and  dream  of  the  future. 

November  2jth. — We  passed  the  Tropic  of  Capri- 
corn to-day.  We  are  approaching  Angra  Pequena. 
We  have  lessened  speed,  in  order  to  get  there  in  the 
morning.  The  flagship's  navigator  considers  that 
half  our  voyage  will  have  been  completed  when  we 
reach  the  southern  end  of  Madagascar. 

At  Angra  Pequena  I  think  we  shall  get  news 
from  the  East.  The  Germans  are  probably  more 
interested  in  the  war  than  the  French. 

A  sailor  in  the  transport  Korea  has  been  seized 
with  dysentery  or  malaria.  God  grant  that  the 
disease  does  not  spread.  Hygienic  conditions  are 
disregarded  in  the  fleet.  Many  go  on  the  sick-list. 
The  wind  has  risen,  the  waves  have  increased. 
Before  entering  Angra  Pequena  boats  will  be  lowered 
and  will  take  soundings.  The  place  is  little  known. 
Some  ships  might  go  aground.  The  post  has 
already  been  collected.  I  hope  to  be  able  to  send 
this  letter  to-morrow  morning. 

November  28th. — Approaching  Angra  Pequena. 

We  have  not  yet  reached  the  anchorage.     We 


ANGRA  PEQUENA  69 

are  steaming  very  slowly,  for  fear  of  going  aground. 
The  wind  is  still  increasing,  and  the  waves  are 
dashing  over  the  poop  (the  after-part  of  the  upper 
deck).  Even  if  the  weather  gets  no  worse  our  cruise 
round  the  Cape  will  not  be  a  very  happy  one. 

At  anchor  at  Angra  Pequena. 

About  one  o'clock  we  reached  Angra  Pequena. 
The  battleships  anchored,  but  the  cruisers  remained 
at  sea.  There  is  not  much  room  in  the  bay.  It  is 
impossible  to  stand  on  deck  in  unsheltered  places. 
It  blows  fearfully.  The  waves  are  washing  over 
everywhere.  No  boats  have  been  lowered  yet. 
There  is  no  communication  with  the  shore,  or  even 
between  ships.  The  post  has  not  been  sent.  You 
may  imagine  what  the  strength  of  the  wind  is  when 
it  is  estimated  at  a  force  of  ten. 

Report  says  that  the  mail-boats  call  here  five 
times  a  year.  Possibly  one  of  the  colliers  will  be 
discharged,  and  return  to  Europe  from  here.  In 
that  case  the  mail  will  be  sent  in  her. 

November  29th. — The  wind  abated  a  little  during 
the  night.  A  steamer  came  alongside,  but  the  sea 
was  so  high  that  her  side  was  crushed.  One  of  our 
75-millimetre  guns  was  damaged,  and  a  port  was 
broken,  which  will  have  to  be  repaired  or  changed. 
Spare  guns  are  carried  in  the  transport. 


70  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

This  is  the  third  day  that  the  mail-boat  has  been 
detained  owing  to  the  weather.  We  hear,  from 
English  sources,  that  there  has  been  a  fight  at 
Mukden  ;  the  losses  on  both  sides  amount  to  50,000 
men.  It  is  also  said  that  the  Japanese  have  taken 
by  storm  one  of  the  forts  at  Port  Arthur.  The 
Russians  blew  up  this  fort,  and  30,000  Japanese 
perished.     All  this  is  hearsay 

On  shore  they  say  that  a  certain  steamer  puts 
to  sea  every  night  and  watches  passing  vessels. 
Evidently  this  steamer  is  freighted  by  the  Japanese, 
to  follow  and  perhaps  strike  a  blow  at  our  fleet. 

Men  are  going  out  of  their  minds  in  the  fleet. 
An  ensign  of  the  reserve  serving  in  the  battleship 
Orel  went  mad,  and  also  a  sailor  in  the  transport 
Korea. 

An  English  steamer  arrived  here  and  left  at  once. 
A  German  transport  arrived  with  troops  to  put 
down  the  native  rising  in  the  interior.  The  mail 
apparently  was  not  sent,  and  the  mail-boat  has 
already  left.  Perhaps  they  will  be  able  to  send  it 
by  the  troopship,  which  is  probably  returning  to 
Europe.  Everything,  as  you  see,  is  uncertain.  We 
stop  on  and  on  here  for  no  reason.  It  is  still  blowing 
hard.  There  is  no  communication  between  ships, 
and  I  ought  to  go  on  board  the  Malay. 


IMPEDIMENTS  71 

November  30th. — We  remain  at  anchor. 

Every  precaution  is  taken.  Searchlights  illu- 
mine the  horizon. 

Close  to  the  fleet  are  two  small  islands  be- 
longing to  England.  It  is  perfectly  astounding — 
wherever  you  look  on  the  map  there  are  English 
possessions,  although  they  are  small.  Angra 
Pequena  formerly  belonged  to  England.  She  ceded 
it  to  Germany,  but  the  two  islands  remained  in 
her  possession. 

Wherever  we  have  called,  the  local  authorities 
(some,  perhaps,  only  outwardly)  placed  impedi- 
ments in  the  way  of  our  fleet.  Angra  Pequena 
is  the  first  German  port  at  which  we  have  called, 
and  the  authorities  are  very  friendly. 

The  local  commandant  says  that  "he  is  not  a 
diplomat,  and  he  does  not  know  officially  of  the 
arrival  of  the  Russian  ships.  They  are  anchored 
behind  a  bend,  and  are  not  visible  from  his  windows." 

I  forget  that  Denmark  also  put  no  obstacles  in 
our  way  ;  but,  judging  by  the  tales  of  those  who 
have  been  in  Denmark,  the  Danish  people  sym- 
pathise with  Japan,  and  not  with  us.  The  Govern- 
ment involuntarily  helps  Russia.  It  is  quite 
different  with  Germany.  The  sympathy  of  both 
people  and  Government  is  on  our  side.     I  do  not 


72  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

know  how  it  will  be  later,  but  at  present  we  have 
nothing  to  reproach  the  Germans  with. 

We  do  not  know  when  our  stay  here  will 
end.  An  English  (Capetown)  newspaper  has  been 
brought  on  board.  Sad  news !  Kuropatkin  has 
not  moved,  and  according  to  the  paper  he  received 
a  reinforcement  of  34,000  men  after  the  battle  of 
Liao-Yang.  Can  it  really  have  been  so  few  ?  The 
commander  of  the  second  army  has  only  just  ar- 
rived at  Harbin — which  means  that  the  army  is 
not  yet  in  being.  We  learn  that  Kaulbars  is  ap- 
pointed commander  of  the  third  army ;  he  is  said 
to  be  a  very  incapable  general.  At  Port  Arthur 
the  Japanese  have  taken  a  hill  that  commands  all 
the  harbour.  The  ships  are  at  a  disadvantage,  and 
they  are  hurriedly  preparing  to  go  to  sea.  This 
is  the  news  imparted  by  an  English  paper.  How 
sad  it  all  is  ! 

Officers  who  have  been  to  the  post-office  on  shore 
found  out  that  only  ten  Europeans — Germans — 
live  in  the  settlement.  They  saw  the  troops  sent 
out  from  Europe  by  Germany  to  subdue  the  natives. 
There  are  1,200  men.  Two  of  the  German  officers 
speak  Russian,  one  of  them  excellently.  There  is 
general  hatred  of  England  here  as  well.  She 
supplies  with  arms  the  natives  whom  the  Germans 


DAMAGED  ENGINES  73 

are  now  going  to  subdue.  She  is  evidently  a 
country  that  tries  to  damage  every  one  and  to  work 
mischief  everywhere. 

The  wind  is  still  howling.  We  are  waiting  for 
it  to  go  down.  At  our  anchorage  there  is  mishap 
after  mishap.  The  Malay  and  the  Meteor  have  just 
signalled  that  their  engines  are  so  badly  damaged 
that  they  cannot  repair  them  without  help.  The 
co-operation  of  the  Kamchatka  is  necessary,  but  I 
could  not  go  on  board. 

December  ist. — Yesterday  from  10  p.m.  to  I  a.m. 
I  was  going  from  one  ship  to  another  in  a  steam- 
cutter.  What  a  time  I  had  !  The  cutter  pitched 
and  rolled  violently.  She  dipped  her  bows  under 
and  shipped  large  quantities  of  water.  It  was 
difficult  to  see  because  the  salt  spray  blinded  one. 
Sometimes  the  cutter  pitched  so  much  that  her 
screw  was  out  of  the  water  and  raced.  To  com- 
plete our  discomfort,  it  was  quite  dark. 

After  I  had  been  to  several  ships  I  had  to  go  to  the 
Kamchatka.  We  could  not  discover  where  she  was 
in  the  darkness.  We  searched  for  her.  She  was 
lying  further  from  the  shore  than  the  other  ships.  It 
is  difficult  to  describe  what  it  was  like  near  her. 
It  seemed  impossible  not  only  to  go  on  board  her, 
but  also  to  receive  a  bag  which  was  lowered  over 


74  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

her  side.  I  had  on  a  mackintosh,  but  there  was  not 
a  dry  spot  on  me.  How  was  I  to  get  on  board  ? 
It  was  pure  torture.  It  was  impossible  to  go 
alongside  the  ship  without  the  risk  of  breaking  up 
the  cutter,  which  was  absolutely  prancing  on  the 
water.  There  was  no  accommodation-ladder,  so 
we  had  to  get  up  by  a  rope-ladder,  choosing  a 
favourable  moment.  God  help  you  if  hand  or  foot 
slipped.  You  would  either  fall  between  the  ship 
and  the  cutter  and  be  crushed,  or  be  struck  by  the 
screw  if  it  were  moving,  or  run  the  risk  of  falling  into 
the  jaws  of  a  shark.  Yesterday  an  officer  fell  like 
this,  but  luckily  escaped  with  only  a  ducking.  I 
again  ran  the  risk  of  falling  into  the  sea  when  going 
on  board  the  Malay.  I  had  only  just  seized  hold 
of  a  rope  when  the  cutter  was  torn  from  under  my 
feet.  I  hung  over  the  water,  but  got  on  board 
somehow.     I  shall  not  forget  yesterday  in  a  hurry. 

To-day  it  is  nearly  calm. 

Calm  !  I  had  to  go  to  the  steamer  Ratzentaler ; 
she  was  damaged.  I  reached  her  safely  and  exa- 
mined her.  This  took  me  about  an  hour.  I  came 
up  from  below  to  get  into  the  boat,  and  this  "  thing  " 
called  the  sea  was  as  boisterous  as  ever.  With 
difficulty  I  let  myself  down  into  the  cutter.  She 
rolled  and  capered. 


A  CRITICAL   POSITION  75 

Unfortunately,  when  shoving  off,  the  screw 
fouled  a  rope,  passed  from  the  steamer.  The  posi- 
tion was  critical,  but  fortunately  the  rope  broke, 
and  with  great  care,  by  going  very  slowly,  we 
reached  the  Suvaroff.  Some  one  remarked,  as  I 
was  dangling  on  the  rope-ladder,  choosing  the 
moment  to  jump  into  the  boat,  "  If  only  your  wife 
could  see  you  in  that  position  !  "  I  was  not  in  any 
actual  danger. 

The  Governor  lunched  with  the  admiral  to-day. 
He  came  on  board  in  the  Alert,  a  small  steamer. 
He  says  that  such  winds  are  usual  here. 

If  you  only  knew  how  sick  I  am  of  my  surround- 
ings !  They  say  our  cruise  is  a  specially  trying 
one ;  it  has  prejudiced  me  against  the  "  beautiful  " 
sea  for  ever.  God  grant  that  it  end  successfully ! 
They  will  not  entice  me  on  board  a  sea-going  ship 
again  for  a  very  long  time.  I  have  had  enough  of 
the  sea — being  torn  away  from  home,  living  under 
unnatural  conditions,  everlasting  surprises  in  the 
shape  of  breakages,  damages,  and  repairs,  dirt  every- 
where. You  must  not  be  surprised  if  I  sometimes 
write  ill-naturedly.  My  nerves  are  shaken  a 
little,  which  is  not  surprising  under  the  circum- 
stances. 

December  2nd. — To-day,  for  the  first  time,  I  saw 


76  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

cormorants  swimming  at  sea ;  I  also  saw  a  jelly- 
fish. 

The  officer  commanding  the  German  expedition 
and  the  commander  of  the  native  troops  came  to 
call  on  the  admiral.  The  latter  did  not  return  the 
call  himself,  but  sent  the  flag-captain.  The  Orel 
has  lost  an  anchor  and  forty  fathoms  of  cable. 
They  are  now  grappling  for  them,  as  it  was  decided 
not  to  send  down  divers  for  fear  of  sharks. 

December  3rd. — In  the  Kamchatka  they  obtained 
an  English  paper  from  a  collier,  in  which  it  is 
related  that  the  Japanese  attacked  the  part  of  our 
fleet  that  is  going  via  the  Suez  Canal,  in  or  near 
the  Red  Sea.  Our  ships  apparently  received  some 
damages.  Perhaps  this  is  a  newspaper  yarn.  The 
Roland  went  to  sea  yesterday,  to  bury  the  body  of 
a  sailor  who  died  in  the  Korea. 

An  order  has  been  issued  that  we  are  to  steam 
without  any  lights,  in  absolute  darkness.  Hitherto 
all  lights  were  put  out  except  distinctive  lights — i.e. 
those  absolutely  necessary  to  show  we  are  steaming. 
Now  these  are  forbidden. 

It  is  settled  that  we  leave  here  to-morrow  morning 
early. 

What  surprises  are  in  store  for  us  on  the  way 
to  Madagascar  ?     That  there  will  be  some  is  beyond 


RAT-HUNTING  JJ 

doubt.  I  have  been  running  round  to-day  like  a 
squirrel  in  a  cage.  I  went  to  the  Orel  and  Alexander, 
and  was,  as  usual,  a  long  time  in  the  Borodino. 

The  first  lieutenant  fell  into  a  coal-shoot,  hurt 
his  leg,  and  is  now  laid  up.  It  is  very  strange,  when- 
ever I  go  on  board  the  Borodino  my  spirits  go  up.  I 
have  noticed  this  more  than  once,  and  it  is  always 
with  pleasure  that  I  go  on  board  her. 

Boats  from  every  ship  helped  the  Orel  to  search 
for  her  anchor  and  cable.  They  only  found  them 
to-day  at  three  o'clock.  They  had,  after  all,  to 
send  divers  down  several  times. 

December  4th. — I  have  not  slept  well  the  last  few 
days.  I  am  inclined  to  sleep,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  lie  down.  The  rats  have  greatly  increased  on 
board.  However,  they  afford  a  certain  amount  of 
fun.  The  dog  Flagmansky  (this  name  was  given 
him  because  he  came  on  board  the  same  day  as  the 
staff)  found  a  rat  in  one  of  the  cabins,  and  chased 
it  into  a  cupboard.  Several  men  took  an  active 
part  in  the  chase.  All  this  time  Flagmansky  barked, 
whined,  rushed  into  the  corners,  scratched  at  the 
cupboard,  and  bit  it. 

The  hunt  was  not  crowned  with  success,  and  he 
is  still  in  the  cabin  guarding  the  rat.  The  cur  has 
an  extraordinary  passion  for  rats.     I  put  him  into 


78  CROSSING  THE  LINE 

my  cabin  once  (he  begged  to  go  there),  and  repented. 
He  made  such  a  disgraceful  noise.  For  an  hour 
and  a  half  I  could  not  drag  him  away.  I  had  to 
call  the  orderly,  who  with  great  difficulty  pulled 
him  away  from  the  cupboard. 


CHAPTER   IV 

ON  THE   WAY  TO   MADAGASCAR 

December  <\th. — From    Angra    Pequena    to  Mada- 
gascar. 

I  only  went  to  bed  at  4  a.m.,  and  rose  at 
8  a.m.  We  prepared  to  leave  here  at  dawn,  but 
at  1.30  a  thick  fog  came  on  and  continued  till  9.30. 
As  soon  as  it  dispersed,  the  fleet  weighed  anchor. 
In  the  night  a  schooner  came  and  lay  near  the 
fleet.  The  officer  of  the  guard  went  on  board. 
She  is  flying  the  English  flag,  and  says  she  has  come 
here  for  guano.  Our  next  anchorage  is  at  Madagas- 
car, near  the  small  island  of  St.  Mary.  This  island 
lies  near  the  north-eastern  shores  of  Madagascar. 

December  $th. — There  was  a  short  mass  to-day. 

A  steamer  was  perceived  far  off  going  in  our 
direction.  Her  funnel  and  two  masts  could  only 
be  seen  from  our  masts.  Perhaps  she  has  come 
from  St.  Helena,  and  we  may  expect  a  surprise.  At 
first  she  was  noticed  by  the  smoke  from  her  funnel. 
She  is  now,  no  doubt,  following  us. 

79 


80  ON   THE  WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

Something  has  happened  to  the  Aurora's  engines, 
but  she  has  repaired  it  by  now.  To-day  the  Suva- 
roff  steamed  with  one  engine  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour. 

Even  the  Malay,  which  has  to  be  constantly 
nursed,  is  steaming  successfully  now.  I  expect 
several  repairs  were  made  when  she  was  at  Angra 
Pequena. 

8  p.m. — The  steamer  which  is  on  our  course, 
though  far  away,  overtook  the  fleet  and  went  in 
the  direction  of  Capetown. 

December  6th. — To-day  is  December  6th.  Where 
have  I  not  spent  this  day  ?  In  Cronstadt,  in  Peters- 
burg, in  Tzarskoe  Selo,  in  Tashkend,  and  in  Goth- 
land aboard  the  Poltava.  Now  I  am  spending  it 
near  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Who  would  believe 
that  they  would  spend  St.  Nicholas  Day  near  the 
southern  coast  of  Africa  ?  There  was  mass,  prayers, 
and  a  salute.  If  foreigners  heard  it,  no  doubt  it 
will  appear  in  the  papers  that  there  was  a  fight,  as 
firing  had  been  heard. 

We  have  not  yet  reached  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
We  are  just  steaming  past  Capetown.  Table 
Mountain  is  visible.  The  swell  is  tremendous. 
The  ships  are  rolling.  It  is  fearful  to  look  at  the 
Nachimoff  and  Donskoi,  which  are  rolling  especially 


ROUNDING  THE  CAPE  8 1 

heavily.  The  height  of  the  waves  sometimes  reaches 
seventy  feet.  I  was  told  this  by  the  flag  navi- 
gating officer.  If  we  double  the  Cape  in  safety, 
then  thanks  be  to  God. 

They  have  arranged  a  game  for  the  crew.  They 
hang  up  a  bucket  of  water  with  a  board  attached 
to  it,  in  which  there  is  a  hole.  Those  playing  have, 
in  passing  under  the  bucket,  to  thrust  a  stick  through 
the  hole.  This  they  seldom  succeed  in  doing. 
Usually  the  stick  hits  the  board,  and  the  bucket  is 
turned  over,  spilling  the  water  on  the  player.  The 
players  are  driven  under  the  bucket  on  a  field  gun- 
carriage. 

We  are  steaming  near  the  shore.  It  is  hilly, 
dark,  and  treeless.  Table  Mountain  is  distinguished 
by  its  height  and  its  summit,  which  is  flat,  as  if 
the  top  of  the  mountain  were  cut  off  ;  this  is  appar- 
ently why  it  got  its  name.  The  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
is  a  shapeless  pile  of  cliffs.  There  is  a  lighthouse. 
We  have  now  passed  this  cape  and  Capetown. 
To-night  we  shall  be  off  Cape  Agulhas.  When 
we  have  passed  it  we  shall  have  left  the  Atlantic 
and  entered  the  Indian  Ocean.  We  shall  be  able 
to  say,  one  ocean  passed ;  two  more  remain,  the 
Indian  and  the  Pacific.  As  the  crow  flies  we  are 
now  at  the  greatest  distance  from  Petersburg.     Up 

6 


82  ON   THE   WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

to  the  present  we  have  been  going  away  from  Japan, 
now  we  begin  to  approach.  Near  Capetown  we 
met  an  enormous  four-masted  ship,  flying  the 
American  flag.  She  was  coming  towards  us.  We 
are  expecting  to  meet  three  suspicious  schooners. 

The  weather  is  getting  worse.  In  two  hours  we 
shall  be  on  the  same  meridian  as  Petersburg ;  our 
time  will  be  the  same  as  it  is  there — that  is,  midnight. 
After  this  Petersburg  time  will  be  behind  ours ; 
hitherto  it  has  been  before.  Evidently  you  cannot 
double  the  Cape  without  very  bad  weather.  Perhaps 
it  is  all  for  the  best,  as  it  will  be  more  difficult  for  the 
suspicious  schooners  to  commit  any  hostile  action. 

Astern  of  the  fleet  and  on  the  same  course  there 
is  a  steamer.  At  first  she  showed  lights,  now  they 
are  not  visible.  The  moon  is  shining,  but  will 
soon  set,  and  it  will  be  quite  dark.  This  will  be  the 
time  to  expect  any  unpleasant  occurrences. 

I  hear  the  admiral  does  not  want  to  take  the 
small  torpedo-boats  with  him,  among  them  being 
the  Rezvy  (Sportive).  Perhaps  some  of  the  officers 
of  these  boats  will  be  transferred  to  other  ships. 
It  has  been  decided  that  the  transports  Malay 
and  Kniaz  Gortchakoff  are  to  return  to  Russia  from 
Madagascar.  Their  engines  are  bad,  and  have  to 
be  nursed  continually. 


A  FOLLOWING  SEA  83 

All  the  fleet  and  auxiliary  cruisers  will  assemble 
at  Madagascar. 

The  same  steamer  is  astern  of  us ;  she  has  her 
lights  out.  It  is  not  merely  out  of  curiosity  she 
does  this. 

At  first  I  used  to  be  disturbed  by  reports  of  this 
kind,  but  am  no  longer.  No  doubt  it  is  rather 
alarming,  but  nothing  like  it  was  before.  How 
can  this  be  explained  ?  Nerves  a  little  blunted, 
perhaps.  It  is  summer  here  now.  Nevertheless, 
at  this  time  of  the  year  ice  sometimes  drifts  from 
the  antarctic  regions.  They  say  a  mountain  of  ice 
100  feet  above  the  water  floated  to  the  shore  in 
summer-time. 

December  yth. — Just  as  I  sat  down  at  table  I  was 
called  away.  It  causes  an  unpleasant  sensation 
when  the  engines  race — that  is,  when  the  screws 
suddenly  begin  to  turn  very  much  quicker.  This 
happens  when  there  is  no  water  over  them,  and  is 
caused  by  the  vessel  pitching  heavily  ;  consequently, 
there  is  no  resistance  to  their  turning. 

The  steamer  which  has  been  following  us  all  along 
is  not  to  be  seen.  Perhaps  towards  night  she  will 
show  herself  somewhere.  The  wind  has  got  up  and 
raised  a  big  sea.  The  sea  is  a  following  one.  Great 
mountains  of  water  pour  on  the  upper  deck.     The 


84  ON   THE  WAY  TO   MADAGASCAR 

ship  is  beginning  to  roll  more  heavily  ;  we  may  expect 
a  gale  towards  night  if  the  wind  strengthens.  It  is 
a  good  thing  it  is  not  a  head  sea — the  ship  steams 
more  easily  and  does  not  roll  so  heavily.  There  is 
a  lot  of  water  on  the  deck  in  my  cabin,  as  well  as 
in  other  people's.  I  am  now  sitting  with  my  legs 
huddled  up.  The  water  comes  into  the  cabins 
through  badly  closed  ports  and  badly  riveted  sides. 
The  waves  sometimes  hit  the  side  and  make  a  noise 
like  a  shot  from  a  gun.  The  weather  is  so  bad  that 
we  need  have  no  fear  of  being  followed  by  the 
Japanese.  They  could  no  doubt  attempt  to  fire  a 
torpedo  from  the  steamer,  but  it  could  hardly  hit, 
and  the  steamer  would  certainly  be  fired  on  and 
sunk. 

The  battleships  Suvaroff,  Alexander,  Borodino,  and 
Orel  have  many  defects  which  could  be  remedied 
in  the  construction  of  the  Slava  (Glory). 

December  8th. — The  weather  was  such  yesterday 
that  God  grant  we  do  not  experience  it  a  second 
time.  Early  in  the  morning  it  was  tolerable,  but 
later  on  the  wind  began  to  freshen.  Standing  on 
deck  was  difficult.  The  waves  grew  larger  and 
larger — like  immensely  steep  hills  round  the  ship. 
They  attained  a  height  of  forty  feet. 

From  three  to  four  o'clock  the  fury  of  the  gale 


A  FURIOUS  GALE  85 

reached  its  height.  I  am  not  sufficiently  eloquent 
to  describe  it  all.  The  ship  tossed  and  groaned 
complainingly.  Everything  was  tightly  shut,  but 
water  came  in  everywhere.  It  poured  in  cascades 
on  the  upper  deck,  went  into  the  turrets,  stoke- 
holds, engine  room,  conning  tower,  and  even  on  to 
the  bridge.  You  could  not  walk  on  the  poop,  or 
you  would  be  washed  overboard.  You  could  not 
breathe  in  the  cabins  ;  the  atmosphere  was  like  a 
bath  (steam),  if  not  worse.  The  wind  roared,  the 
ship  rolled.  The  waves  came  up  quite  vertically — 
you  looked  and  saw  a  wall  of  water.  A  boat 
which  hung  at  the  davits  was  smashed  to  bits, 
torn  away,  and  carried  off  to  sea. 

Astern  of  the  Suvaroff  came  the  Alexander  ;  at 
times,  when  the  sea  lifted  the  latter,  her  ram  was 
visible.  Sometimes  her  bows  were  at  the  bottom  of 
a  wave,  and  her  stern  at  the  top ;  and  then  all  her 
deck,  from  bow  to  stern,  could  be  seen  from  the 
Suvaroff.  When  I  saw  this  I  could  not  at  first 
believe  it.  The  best-behaved  ship  was  the  Borodino  ; 
she  is  a  ship  to  be  proud  of. 

At  last  the  weather  got  to  such  a  pitch  that,  had 
the  engines  or  rudder  of  any  ship  given  way,  she 
would  have  been  in  a  hopeless  position.  To  think 
of  help  from  other  vessels  would  be  useless.    At 


86  ON   THE  WAY  TO   MADAGASCAR 

this  time  each  ship  only  thought  of  herself.  The 
steamer  Roland  was  flooded  with  waves  minute  after 
minute  ;  she  had  to  increase  speed  to  escape  them, 
and  disappeared  out  of  sight  of  the  fleet. 

She  rejoined  to-day.  Thank  God  it  was  a  follow- 
ing sea  and  a  fair  wind.  What  would  it  have  been 
had  it  been  a  head  or  beam  wind  ? 

At  5  p.m.  something  went  wrong  with  the  engines 
of  the  Malay.  She  stopped  and  turned  broadside 
to  the  wind.  If  you  could  but  see  what  a  sad  sight 
she  presented  !  It  was  impossible  to  help  her,  even 
if  she  had  gone  to  the  bottom  before  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  fleet.  Nearly  all  the  underwater  part  of  her 
was  visible.  Wave  after  wave  rolled  over  her.  To 
help  herself  a  little  she  set  small  and  wretched  sails. 
They  were  no  good.  The  whole  fleet,  without 
lessening  speed,  went  past  the  Malay,  leaving  her 
to  cope  by  herself  with  the  broken  engine  and  the 
bad  weather.  Since  then  she  has  not  been  seen. 
How  does  she  fare  ?  It  is  not  known  whether  she 
is  afloat  or  sunk.  We  shall  know  nothing  before  we 
get  to  Madagascar.     Perhaps  all  will  yet  be  well. 

The  Indian  Ocean  has  not  given  us  a  very  affable 
reception.  They  were  afraid  that  the  wind  would 
get  up  to-day,  but  although  it  is  fresh  it  is  tolerable. 
Storms  such  as  we  experienced  yesterday  last  for  a 


MERIDIAN  OF  PETERSBURG  PASSED  87 

fortnight  without  a  break.  Last  night,  when  the 
gale  abated,  rain  squalls  began  to  pass  over  us. 
This  pleasure  was  not  continuous  ;  besides,  we  were 
wet  enough  without  them.  I  went  to  bed  late. 
I  had  wandered  all  over  the  ship.  Went  to  sleep 
undressed.  My  feet  had  been  wet  through  since  the 
morning.  While  at  lunch  yesterday  in  the  admiral's 
cabin  a  large  wave  rolled  on  to  the  upper  deck ;  the 
door  leading  to  the  poop  from  the  cabin  had  not 
been  closed,  and  a  cascade  of  water  poured  in. 
Every  one  raised  their  legs  and  kept  them  so  until 
sailors  had  dried  up  the  water.  This  wave  was  one 
of  the  first  to  fall  on  the  ship. 

What  weather  !  You  seldom  see  the  like  !  I 
wrote  to  you  that  we  had  passed  the  meridian  of 
Petersburg.  I  was  mistaken.  We  only  passed  it 
to-day  at  8  a.m. 

December  gth. — The  weather  is  gradually  mending. 
The  ship  rolls  lightly. 

In  the  Suvaroff  the  cook  and  the  messman  were 
French.  The  messman  left  the  ship  at  Vigo,  and 
the  former  cook  became  messman.  Every  one 
grumbled  at  him.  At  last  it  was  decided  to  get  rid 
of  him.  One  of  the  officers  undertook  to  super- 
intend the  cooking.  The  messman  will  be  put  on 
shore  at  Madagascar. 


88  ON   THE  WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

Thanks  to  the  favouring  gale  and  fair  wind  we 
shall,  it  appears,  reach  Madagascar  considerably 
earlier  than  was  anticipated. 

December  10th. — The  weather  is  nearly  quite  calm, 
although  the  ship  is  still  rolling  slightly.  At  8.30 
the  Borodino  left  the  line.  Something  went  wrong 
with  her  steering  gear.  She  has  not  left  the  fleet, 
but  is  steaming  alongside  it.  Now  she  has  repaired 
the  damage. 

There  are  about  1,400  miles  more  to  St.  Mary, 
our  next  anchorage.  Under  favourable  conditions 
we  should  arrive  there  in  six  or  seven  days.  We 
shall  get  the  mails  and  newspapers  there.  No  news 
has  been  received  about  the  Malay,  though  they 
call  her  up  by  signal  in  the  evenings.  If  she  has  not 
suffered  shipweck,  she  must  be  far  from  the  fleet. 
Her  speed  is  inconsiderable.  We  shall  learn  her 
fate  at  Madagascar. 

December  11th. — During  the  night  on  board  the 
Suvaroff  the  coal  in  the  bunker  caught  fire.  The 
fire  was  speedily  extinguished  with  steam,  which 
was  injected  into  the  bunker. 

There  is  only  a  slight  wind  to-day,  but  the  deadly 
swell  continues.  It  is  impossible  to  open  the  ports. 
Yesterday  they  brought  my  cap-covers  from  the 
wash.     They  are  so  torn  now  I  can  hardly  wear 


Bad  coal  89 

them.  You  cannot  imagine  what  a  barbarous  wash- 
house  we  have.  They  bring  back  the  linen  torn 
and  stained.  No  matter  how  strong  a  material 
your  tunic  is  made  of,  they  tear  it. 

The  Orel  left  the  line,  having  damaged  her  steering 
engine ;  but  she  quickly  set  it  right  and  resumed 
her  place. 

Just  before  the  colours  were  lowered  to-day  a 
cloud  appeared  on  the  horizon,  like  smoke.  They 
thought  it  was  the  Malay  overtaking  us.  Our 
excitement  appeared  to  have  been  needless.  The 
Kamchatka  complained  of  bad  coal ;  she  could  not 
keep  up  sufficient  steam,  and  began  to  drop  astern. 
Her  captain,  by  signal,  asked  permission  to  throw 
overboard  some  150  tons  of  bad  coal.  The  admiral, 
seeing  in  the  fall  of  steam  the  work  of  some  evil- 
disposed  persons,  refused,  but  gave  permission  to 
throw  overboard  the  wrongdoer. 

No  sooner  is  the  tale  of  the  Kamchatka  ended 
than  the  Suvaroff  lies  motionless,  having  damaged 
her  steering  engine.  It  was  repaired  somehow,  and 
we  proceeded. 

December  12th. — A  curious  thing  happened  last 
night.  They  were  communicating  with  the  Kam- 
chatka by  signal.  She  hoisted  a  signal  about  her 
speed.     The  ship's  signalmen  interpreted  the  signal 


00  ON   THE  WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

thus,  "  Do  you  see  the  torpedo-boats  ?  "  The 
officer  of  the  watch  sent  down  to  wake  all  officers, 
and  tell  them  that  a  torpedo-boat  attack  was  immi- 
nent. Buglers  and  drummers  were  stationed  to  sound 
off  quarters  for  action.     There  was  general  alarm. 

A  strong  wind  is  beginning  to  blow.  I  hope  it 
will  not  turn  into  a  gale  again,  as  it  does  not  bring 
much  joy.  When  you  are  ashore  you  pay  no 
attention  to  the  weather,  whereas  now  you  atten- 
tively follow  its  strength  and  direction.  If  nothing 
happens,  there  are  four  days'  journey  left  to  our 
anchorage  in  Madagascar.  Up  to  the  present  we 
have  come  quicker  than  was  intended.  The  storm 
on  the  eighth  of  the  month  helped  us.  At  Mada- 
gascar the  cruiser  Kuban  will  probably  join  the 
fleet.  She  left  Russia  after  we  did.  She  outstripped 
us,  and  we  have  not  yet  seen  her. 

Probably  at  that  island  we  shall  be  joined  by 
the  ships  going  by  the  Suez  Canal.  The  weather 
is  apparently  about  to  get  worse.  The  waves  are 
again  increasing.  In  the  Atlantic  it  is  calm  ;  in 
the  Indian  Ocean  it  is  always  boisterous.  They  say 
that  from  Madagascar  on  it  will  be  quieter.  God 
grant  it !  It  is  impossible  even  for  a  minute  to  open 
one's  port  to  let  fresh  air  into  the  cabin.  The 
artificial  ventilation  is  very  feeble. 


ANOTHER   STORM  9I 

December  13th. — Rain  has  fallen  all  to-day.  The 
transport  Meteor  for  some  reason  began  to  drop 
astern.  (She  is  carrying  fresh  water.  Although  they 
distil  water  in  the  battleships  and  cruisers,  she  is 
nevertheless  sometimes  of  assistance.  She  usually 
provides  the  transports  with  water.)  Like  all  the 
other  ships,  she  complains  of  the  bad  coal,  with 
which  it  is  difficult  to  keep  up  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  steam  for  the  boilers. 

A  storm  has  begun  ;  the  wind  has  suddenly 
freshened.  Some  say  that  this  is  a  local  squall, 
others  that  it  is  a  cyclone.  It  is  especially  awkward 
for  ships  to  get  into  a  cyclone  if  they  happen  to  be 
in  its  centre.  Formerly  sailing-ships  that  were 
caught  in  the  centre  of  a  cyclone  seldom  escaped. 
No  doubt  it  is  not  so  dangerous  for  steamships ; 
yet,  all  the  same,  it  may  cause  discomfort  enough. 

To-night  is  very  dark.  Black  clouds  stretch  over 
the  sky.  The  storm  sometimes  moves  away,  some- 
times approaches  us. 

December  14th. — It  was  a  cyclone  yesterday  ;  it 
only  caught  us  with  its  circumference.  Until  one 
o'clock  I  was  on  deck.  We  are  now  passing  along 
the  eastern  shore  of  Madagascar,  and  about  thirty 
miles  from  it.  The  shore  is  clearly  seen  with  the 
naked   eye.     It   is   high   and   mountainous.      Just 


$2  ON   THE  WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

before  twelve  o'clock  a  steam-pipe  buist  in  the 
stokehold  of  the  Suvaroff.  The  steam  whistled  and 
began  to  pour  into  the  stokehold.  The  men  were 
nearly  scalded.  Some  of  them  fled  into  the  bunker, 
and  shut  the  door  behind  them  with  the  aid  of  a 
stoker,  who  remained  in  the  stokehold  and  found 
a  means  of  saving  himself  another  way. 

December  16th. — Off  the  island  of  St.  Mary. 

They  have  brought  news  from  the  shore.  Ay  ! 
such  news  that  the  remembrance  of  it  is  nauseating. 
All  the  ships  at  Port  Arthur  are  destroyed.  The 
Gromoboy  (Thunderer)  has  struck  on  the  rocks. 
Kuropatkin  sits  tight  at  Mukden  and  organises 
parades.  A  third  deep-sea  fleet  is  leaving,  or  pre- 
paring to  leave,  Libau.  Can  this  be  true  ?  What 
is  all  this  ?  Are  they  joking,  or  have  they  quite 
lost  their  heads  ?  You  cannot  imagine  how  morti- 
fying it  is.  Everywhere  are  failures,  corruption, 
stupidity,  and  mistakes.  No  doubt  you,  living  in 
Petersburg,  have  heard  all  gradually.  It  all  falls 
on  us  as  a  sudden  blow.  Involuntarily  you  are 
overwhelmed  with  horror.  There  is  not  one  bright 
spot ;    all  around  is  hopeless  darkness. 

Yes,  our  affairs  are  bad,  very  bad  ! 

The  steamer  Roland  is  going  to  the  town  of 
Tamatave,  which  is  about  a  hundred  versts  from 


FALSE   NEWS  93 

our  anchorage.  The  hospital-ship  Orel  arrived  from 
Capetown  and  brought  newspapers.  The  officers  of 
the  Orel  say  that  in  the  streets  of  Capetown  you 
constantly  hear  Russian  spoken ;  that  is,  by  Jews 
from  Russia.  There  are  some  thirteen  and  a  half 
thousands  of  them.  Many  of  them  have  fled  from 
Russia  in  order  to  escape  their  military  obligations. 
The  Jews  so  besieged  the  Orel,  wishing  to  look  over 
her,  that  at  last  the  police  had  to  drive  them  away 
from  the  ship. 

December  lyth. — The  Roland,  when  coming  out  of 
Tamatave,  signalled  that  the  Malay  was  coming  in. 
A  schooner  flying  the  Swiss  flag  has  arrived  here — 
schooner  of  a  country  where  there  is  no  sea  ! 

The  Malay  has  arrived.  It  does  not  do  to  believe 
all  the  news  from  the  fleet.  For  instance,  to-day  a 
telegram  was  sent  via  Tamatave,  saying  we  had 
coaled  near  Durban.  Nothing  of  the  kind  occurred. 
It  was  telegraphed  to  alarm  the  English  and  compel 
them  to  institute  an  inquiry.  In  one  word,  to 
make  them  show  that  they  had  not  broken  their 
neutrality. 

The  Orel  brought  the  captain  of  the  Suvaroff  the 
Novoe  Vremya  (New  Times)  and  Birgevya  Viedomosti 
(Bourse  News)  from  Capetown.  How  eagerly  we 
read  them! 


94  ON   THE  WAY  TO   MADAGASCAR 

Our  fleet  lies  in  the  strait  between  the  islands 
of  Madagascar  and  St.  Mary.  To-day  we  were 
informed  from  St.  Mary  that  two  ships  were  lying 
on  the  other  side.  Was  it  from  these  ships  we  re- 
ceived signals  ?  They  suppose  them  to  be  Japanese 
cruisers,  and  fear  for  the  Roland.  She  has  not  re- 
turned. If  there  are  Japanese  cruisers  here  they 
might  easily  catch  her  and  send  her  to  the  bottom. 

It  is  very  probable  that  the  ships  coming  vid  Suez 
are  lying  in  the  Mozambique  Channel,  off  Madagascar 
(near  the  western  shore).  As  yet  we  have  no  news 
of  them. 

December  18th. — To-day  the  admiral  and  several 
officers  of  his  staff  went  to  the  island  of  St.  Mary. 
I  did  not  want  to  go,  so  did  not  take  advantage  of 
the  opportunity.  The  steamer  Esperanza,  which  is 
bringing  provisions  for  the  fleet,  has  not  yet  arrived. 
She  had  to  call  at  Capetown,  and  then  follow  us 
here.  Perhaps  we  shall  remain  off  the  island  here 
for  a  prolonged  time.  Evidently  the  term  of  our 
stay  depends  on  the  answer  to  the  telegram  sent 
to  Petersburg. 

To-morrow  a  steamer  arrives  (French),  and  leaves 
on  the  21st,  taking  the  mails. 

The  Roland  has  not  yet  returned.  Where  the 
rest  of  the  ships  are  is  not  known. 


A  MADAGASCAN   SAGALIEN  95 

The  question  of  the  return  to  Russia  of  the  Malay 
is  definitely  settled.  She  is  to  go  to  the  Black  Sea. 
Her  stores  will  be  taken  in  the  other  transports. 
She  goes  from  here  vid  the  Suez  Canal,  taking  the 
sick  and  feeble  from  the  fleet.  That  will  be  one 
burden  the  less. 

December  igth. — I  have  been  to  St.  Mary  to-day. 
The  trip  began  by  our  scarcely  reaching  the  shore. 
It  was  rough,  and  a  head  sea  began  to  pour  over 
the  cutter.  I  was  wet  through,  and  cursed  myself 
for  coming. 

The  scenery  here  is  very  little  different  from 
Gaboon  and  Dakar.  There  is  the  same  rich 
tropical  growth.  The  types  of  inhabitants  are 
different.  The  people  here  dress  more  than  those 
at  Gaboon,  and  appear  well  built.  The  population 
does  not  enjoy  the  confidence  of  the  French,  and  the 
soldiers  are  taken  from  another  place.  Not  long 
ago  the  natives  killed  two  European  officers  in 
Madagascar.  When  our  fleet  arrived,  they  thought 
we  had  come  to  punish  them  for  the  murders,  and 
several  settlements  ran  away.  St.  Mary  is  a 
Sagalien  for  Madagascar.  There  are  two  prisons — 
one  for  political  offenders,  the  other  for  capital  offen- 
ders. What  strikes  one  generally  about  the  negroes 
is  their  gait.   They  walk  holding  themselves  upright. 


g6  ON   THE  WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

I  wandered  about  on  shore,  was  in  the  village, 
and  looked  into  the  church  (Roman  Catholic).  It 
is  the  new  year  to-day,  according  to  the  New  Style. 
The  population  are  dressed  in  their  holiday  clothes. 
I  bought  six  very  pretty  shells  in  the  village  for  a 
franc.  Strolling  along  the  beach  I  collected  fifty 
shells — one  large  one  of  six  to  eight  inches  diameter. 
My  walk  along  the  beach  was  poisoned  by  anticipa- 
tion of  having  to  row  back  to  the  ship,  which,  with 
the  others,  lies  very  far  from  the  shore. 

I  went  on  board  the  ship,  and  there  was  a  surprise 
for  me — to  go  to  the  Esperanza,  which  had  only 
just  arrived.  The  weather  had  already  grown 
much  rougher.  Two  Frenchmen  have  come  aboard 
the  Suvaroff,  and  they  cannot  get  ashore  ;  they 
will  have  to  spend  the  night  here.  The  sailors  from 
their  boat  are  negroes,  and  have  been  sent  to  sleep 
with  the  crew,  whose  chance  guests  afford  them 
amusement. 

In  the  morning  the  Roland  arrived,  and  brought 
the  news  that  they  had  seen  a  suspicious  schooner 
and  a  destroyer  (Japanese).  They  saw  Admiral 
Folkersham's  fleet  (which  came  by  Suez)  had 
gone  to  Nosi  Be.  No  answer  had  been  received 
at  Tamatave  from  Petersburg.  A  French  steamer 
will  bring  us  the  answer  to-morrow.     At  Tamatave 


NO   NEWS  FROM   PETERSBURG  97 

the  French  gave  our  officers  a  friendly  reception. 
On  the  occasion  of  the  arrival  of  the  Russian  fleet 
they  even  printed  the  menus  with  the  double-headed 
eagle  and  our  flags. 

December  20th. — I  was  called  early  this  morning. 
I  have  to  go  to  the  Esperanza  again.  I  am  wet 
through,  and  have  to  change  my  clothes  and  boots. 
It  is  a  good  thing  that  those  I  wore  yesterday  have 
dried.  The  Frenchmen  have  gone  and  taken  with 
them  the  letters  and  telegrams  to  give  to  the  steamer. 
I  missed  the  dispatch  of  letters  owing  to  the  trip  to 
the  Esperanza. 

Our  fleet  will  soon  shift  its  anchorage.  We  shall 
hardly  go  to  Nosi  Be.  It  is  awkward  to  lie  there, 
and  the  bay  is  shallow  for  battleships  and  also 
for  transports.  The  refrigerator  in  the  Esperanza, 
which  cools  the  air  in  the  holds  where  the  meat 
is  stowed,  is  damaged.  This  is  unfortunate  ;  the 
meat  will  go  bad,  and  we  shall  have  to  feed  on 
salt  meat. 

At  four  o'clock  the  steamer  Pernosbucco  arrived 
here ;  she  brought  no  news  from  Petersburg.  At 
seven  she  left  for  Diego  Suarez.  To-morrow  we  get 
up  anchor  and  go  north  to  some  bay. 

A  stoker  died  on  board  the  Oslyabya  ;  he  was  buried 
at  five  o'clock  to-day.    The  Oslyabya  left  the  line, 

7 


98  ON   THE  WAY  TO   MADAGASCAR 

half-masted  her  colours,  fired  her  guns  (a  salute), 
and  committed  the  body  to  the  sea.  During  this 
ceremony  the  officers  and  crews  of  all  the  ships 
stood  at  "  attention,"  and  where  there  were  bands 
they  played  "  Kol  Slaven."  l 

To-day  the  wireless  station  received  some  signals, 
evidently  sent  from  a  great  distance.  None  of  the 
ships  could  decipher  them — it  was  not  known,  even, 
in  what  language  they  were  written.  To-morrow 
I  shall  learn  whether  it  was  not  one  of  our  newly 
arrived  ships  that  signalled. 

December  21st. — In  the  bay  of  Tang-tang. 

This  morning  we  weighed  and  shifted  from  St. 
Mary  nearer  to  Madagascar,  in  the  bay  of  Tang-tang. 
It  is  better  protected  than  where  we  were  lying. 

The  guns  are  ready  at  any  minute  to  commence 
firing.  In  all  corners  of  the  ship  are  men  talking 
in  undertones.  They  anxiously  scan  the  horizon. 
The  outlines  of  the  nearest  ships  stand  out  in  black 
silhouettes.  At  the  sides  the  torpedo-nets  are  rocked 
by  the  waves.  The  searchlights  are  ready  to 
instantly  illuminate  all  around.  The  tension  is 
felt,  though  there  is  absolute  stillness.  Every  one 
is  chilled  by  fearful  anticipation. 

December  22nd. — To-day  the  cruiser  Kuban  is 
1  A  funeral  march, 


A  JAPANESE  SIGNAL  99 

expected  to  arrive,  and  to-morrow  the  squadron 
that  came  via  Suez. 

In  the  English  newspapers  there  is  an  announce- 
ment that  Russia  has  ordered  thirty  ships  of  various 
kinds  in  Germany  and  Italy. 

Those  undeciphered  signals  which  our  wireless 
stations  received  have  been  made  out  by  some  one 
in  the  Nachimoff.  The  signal  was  Japanese.  It 
stated  that  "  the  Russian  fleet  is  lying  without 
lights  off  the  island  of  St.  Mary."  To-day  a  French 
officer  commanding  some  local  troops  arrived,  and 
spent  the  night  on  board  the  Suvaroff.  The  torpedo- 
nets  were  again  got  out ;  the  crews  were  at  their 
guns  ;  steam  and  mining  cutters  lay  near  their  ships, 
one-third  of  the  officers  were  on  deck  by  order,  and 
a  large  number  out  of  curiosity. 

The  night  was  rather  dark — half  the  sky  was 
covered  with  clouds.  Occasionally  sparks  of  light 
glimmer  here  and  there.  Some  one  is  signalling. 
A  light  flashes  on  shore ;  it  is  answered  from  the 
sea.  The  Aurora  reports  that  she  saw  six  lights 
astern  of  her.  I  myself  saw  four  out  at  sea  and 
one  on  shore.  What  will  to-night  bring  us  ?  An 
attack  must  be  expected.  Everything  is  so  un- 
usual. All  lights  are  hidden.  At  dawn  a  cruiser  is 
leaving  with  secret  orders,  apparently  for  the  colliers. 


IOO  ON   THE   WAY   TO  MADAGASCAR 

December  23rd. — The  Malay,  which  remained  at 
our  former  anchorage,  has  not  yet  reached  the  fleet. 
The  cruisers  have  gone.  The  Roland  has  not  yet 
returned.  The  Kuban  is  not  here,  nor  the  squadron 
from  Suez.  To-night  there  was  a  long  story  from 
the  Esperanza,  which  is  cruising  under  the  French 
flag  and  has  a  French  crew.  The  crew,  not  liking 
to  lie  at  anchor  without  lights  during  the  night, 
threatened  the  captain.  These  brave  Frenchmen 
feared  an  attack.  The  Esperanza  has  now  been  sent 
away  somewhere.  A  collier  arrived  bringing  some 
information,  thanks  to  which  we  shall  leave  here 
to-morrow — whither  I  do  not  yet  know. 

Evening. — The  Kuban,  it  appears,  is  lying  at 
Diego  Suarez,  and  the  ships  from  Suez  at  Nosi  Be, 
where  we  are  also  going  to-morrow. 

December  24th. — Port  Arthur  has  surrendered. 
What  more  can  be  said  ? 

On  the  way  to  Nosi  Be  from  Tang-tang. 

The  sad  news  of  the  surrender  of  Port  Arthur 
was  brought  by  the  Roland.     She  arrived  to-day. 

On  the  24th  the  cruiser  Svietlana  and  the  torpedo- 
boats  Biedovy  and  Bodry  joined  the  fleet.  The 
latter  damaged  her  engines,  and  was  at  once  taken 
in  tow  by  the  Roland.  The  same  day  we  met  two 
colliers.     They  were  ordered  to  go  to  Nosi  Be.     On 


A  NIGHT  OF  ALARMS  IOI 

the  25th  the  Bodry  reported  that  she  had  very  little 
coal.  The  fleet  stopped,  and  the  Bodry  took  coal 
from  the  Anadir,  going  alongside  her. 

It  is  a  good  thing  it  was  calm,  and  this  could  be 
done  without  risk  of  damage.  Yesterday  there  was 
mass  and  prayers.  It  is  really  Christmas.  After 
mass  the  admiral  made  a  short  but  impressive  speech 
to  the  crew.  All  the  ships  saluted  according  to 
regulation.     They  fired  thirty-one  guns. 

In  the  evening  the  Borodino  reported  by  sema- 
phore that  shortly  before  sunset  four  large  warships 
were  visible  from  her  masts,  steaming  in  line  ahead. 
Afterwards  three  of  the  ships  turned  and  dis- 
appeared. Lights  were  burning  on  the  remaining 
ship.  After  a  short  time,  they  made  out  that  this 
ship,  having  put  out  her  lights,  altered  course  and 
also  disappeared.  There  is  evidence  that  there 
are  Japanese  warships  off  Madagascar.  The  night 
passed  in  alarms.  Some  lights  were  visible  away 
from  our  course.  Attacks  were  feared.  Instructions 
were  given  to  the  battleships  and  transports  what 
to  do  during  an  attack. 

The  cruiser  Svietlana  was  sent  to  the  squadron 
lying  in  Nosi  Be. 

I  could  not  sleep  from  the  closeness  in  my  cabin. 
Until  6  a.m.  I  slept  in  my  clothes  on  a  sofa  in  the 


102  ON   THE  WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

wardroom.  At  6  I  went  back  to  my  cabin  and 
opened  the  port.  The  sea  wetted  the  table  and 
fell  on  to  the  bed,  but  that  afforded  nothing  but 
pleasure.     It  does  not  even  wake  you. 

This  morning  we  got  into  communication  by 
wireless  with  the  Svietlana,  which  is  ahead  of  the 
fleet,  while  she  was  in  communication  with  the 
squadron  at  Nosi  Be.  It  appears  that  our  cruisers 
Aurora,  Donskoi,  and  Nachimoff  are  lying  there. 
Yesterday  it  was  supposed  that  the  ships  seen  in 
line  ahead  were  these  cruisers  and  the  Kuban, 
which  joined  them  from  Diego  Suarez.  Now  this 
supposition  falls  to  the  ground. 

We  are  going  by  a  spot  seldom  explored 
and  not  sounded.  Occasionally  shallow  places  are 
shown  on  the  chart,  and  the  fairway  along  which 
we  are  steaming  is  very  narrow;  the  depth  is 
unknown — it  has  not  been  measured.  We  may 
go  aground. 

To-day  I  finished  writing  those  reports  about  the 
battleships  Borodino,  Orel,  Imperator  Alexander  III., 
and  Kniaz  Suvaroff,  which  I  began  long  ago.  I 
must  touch  them  up  a  little  and  send  them  to  Peters- 
burg. Many  will  be  dissatisfied  with  them,  and 
probably  I  shall  make  enemies  for  myself.  No 
matter.     Having  once  decided  on  it,  I  must  carry 


MUTINY  ON   THE  "ROLAND"  IO3 

it  out — the  more  so  as  it  appears  to  me  the  remarks 
will  be  very  useful. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  torpedo-boat  Buiny  (Boister- 
ous) approached,  coming  from  Nosi  Be.  All  is  well 
there.  The  torpedo-boat  offered  to  escort  the 
hospital-ship  Orel  to  the  anchorage.  At  present 
our  fleet  is  thirty  miles  from  the  anchorage.  Owing 
to  the  dangerous  entrance,  we  shall  remain  at  sea 
all  night,  and  go  in  to-morrow  morning.  Tossing 
on  the  sea  all  night  with  the  transports  is  not  without 
danger. 

December  2jth. — The  fleet  is  steaming  slowly, 
turning  constantly  in  order  not  to  be  too  far  off 
Nosi  Be.  At  2  p.m.  the  Roland  hoisted  a  signal, 
"  The  crew  have  mutinied."  The  torpedo-boat 
Biedovy  was  ordered  to  reduce  the  mutineers  to 
submission,  and  if  necessary  to  shoot  them.  The 
torpedo-boat,  with  such  full  powers,  soon  re-estab- 
lished order.  It  appeared  that  the  stokers  did  not 
wish  to  take  the  place  of  two  sick  comrades,  and 
hence  the  whole  story. 

I  hardly  slept  all  night.  Went  to  bed  at  four  and 
got  up  at  seven.  We  are  approaching  our  anchor- 
age. What  news  awaits  us  ?  After  the  destruction 
of  the  fleet  and  the  fall  of  Port  Arthur,  affairs  are 
radically  changed.     There  is  now  no  need  for  haste. 


104  ON   THE  WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

There  are  three  courses  open  to  our  fleet — either 
to  continue  the  voyage  to  the  East,  to  remain 
for  an  indefinite  time  in  some  place  in  the  expecta- 
tion that  its  presence  will  be  necessary  on  the 
coast  of  Japan,  or  to  return  to  Russia.  If  we  are 
obliged  to  remain  somewhere  and  wait,  will  the 
admiral  remain  in  the  fleet  ?  And  if  he  goes,  what 
fate  may  his  staff  expect  ? 

I  had  just  sat  down  and  busied  myself  when 
I  heard  the  sound  of  my  beloved  Little  Russian 
march.  I  looked  out  of  my  port  and  saw  we 
had  arrived  at  Nosi  Be.  I  ran  on  deck  and  saw 
a  wonderful  picture.  The  bay,  the  calm  sea, 
hills  all  round — two  of  the  latter  especially,  covered 
with  a  thick  wood,  stand  at  the  entrance  op- 
posite each  other.  The  sun  is  scorching.  In 
the  bay  are  the  remains  of  the  naval  might  of 
our  unfortunate  fathe.land.  The  sounds  of  the 
march  re-echo.  We  have  rejoined  all  the  ships 
that  we  parted  from  at  Tangier  more  than  two 
months  ago.  Here  are  all  that  are  left  to  Russia. 
Can  it  be  that  they  will  be  ingloriously  and  igno- 
miniously  destroyed  ?  The  fleet  is  still  strong 
enough,  but  is  it  efficient  ?  There  were  more 
ships,  and  they  are  battered  to  pieces  or  lie  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea.     Can  it  be  that  our  fleet  will 


MEETING  OF  THE  ADMIRALS  105 

complete  the  great  tragedy  of  the  ruin  of  an  immense 
navy  ? 

The  meeting  of  our  admiral  and  Admiral  Folker- 
sham  was  very  hearty.  They  embraced.  You  can- 
not recognise  the  men  in  the  boats  of  Admiral 
Folkersham's  division.  They  are  all  in  sun  helmets, 
whereas  our  men  have  put  neck-covers  on  their 
caps.  Admirals  Folkersham  and  Enquist  were 
invited  to  lunch.  They  learnt  the  news.  All  are 
sad. 

There  is  neither  telegraph  nor  post  here. 
Torpedo-boats  go  to  Mayung  (Mojanga)  in  order  to 
send  the  mails  and  telegrams.  It  is  about  200 
versts  from  here.  There  are  few  Europeans.  We 
hear  occasional  newspaper  reports  which  we  do  not 
know  how  to  believe.  One  is  perfectly  terrible. 
Port  Arthur  surrendered  with  a  garrison  of  more 
than  40,000  men,  among  whom  were  1,000  officers. 
It  is  simply  incredible  !  The  triumph  of  the 
Japanese  is  complete ;  they  will  raise  our  ships 
that  were  sunk  in  Port  Arthur  harbour,  and 
leaving  them  their  former  names,  will  fight  in 
them  against  us. 

Admiral  Folkersham  says  there  are  no  mails 
or  letters  from  Russia.  He  telegraphed  twice  to 
our  staff  requesting  them  to  send  on  letters.     They 


106  ON  THE  WAY  TO  MADAGASCAR 

did  not  even  reply.  What  is  it  to  them,  sitting 
snugly  in  Petersburg,  that  more  than  850  officers 
alone  have  no  news  from  home  for  two  months  ? 
It  is  all  the  same  to  them  !  They  are  all  right,  and 
as  regards  others  it  is  not  their  business. 

They  do  not  count  on  taking  the  transports 
Gortchakoff  and  Malay  any  further,  but  will  send 
them  to  Russia  from  here.  It  is  said  that,  according 
to  the  first  order,  the  fleet  is  to  leave  Madagascar 
on  January  1st.  The  captain  of  the  torpedo-boat 
Buiny  has  come.  There  are  several  breakages  and 
defects  in  this  boat.  I  shall  have  to  go  to-morrow 
morning  and  make  arrangements  for  their  repair. 

We  have  a  tremendous  voyage  before  us — across 
the  Indian  Ocean,  calling  nowhere.  Under  favour- 
able conditions  we  shall  get  to  the  East  Indian 
Archipelago  in  twenty  days,  and  then  Japan  is  quite 
close.  What  will  it  be  ?  Can  the  fate  of  the 
Port  Arthur  fleet  await  us  ?  It  is  said  that  Nosi 
Be  is  extraordinarily  like  the  harbour  of  Nagasaki. 
It  is  not  possible  to  remain  in  one's  cabin.  The 
deck  is  so  hot  that  you  can  feel  the  heat  through 
the  soles  of  your  boots. 

The  cyclone  that  overtook  us  on  the  way  to 
Madagascar  apparently  caused  much  damage  in 
this  island.    Thank  God  that  we  came  happily  out 


A  TREMENDOUS  ACCOMPLISHMENT  107 

of  it.  The  cruise  in  the  ships  that  came  vid  Suez 
was  much  easier  than  ours.  They  called  at  well- 
constructed  ports.  The  voyage  was  shorter.  Officers 
and  men  were  frequently  allowed  ashore.  Our 
fleet  accomplished  a  tremendous  voyage,  calling 
at  a  few  deserted  bays.  The  crew  were  not  allowed 
on  shore,  and  the  officers  seldom  had  permission 
to  land.  It  is  said  permission  to  land  will  be  given 
to-morrow.  It  does  not  attract  me ;  the  shore  is 
wild  and  deserted. 

To-night  I  can  sleep  with  my  port  open.  I  shall 
be  able  to  breathe.  I  must  go  to  bed  early.  It  is 
already  late,  and  to-morrow  I  must  get  up  early, 
and  dash  round  the  ships.  At  present  there  are 
few  damages.  Perhaps  they  have  not  been  able  to 
report  them.     I  shall  see  to-morrow. 


CHAPTER  V 

AT    MADAGASCAR 

December  28th. — Since  early  this  morning  I  have 
been  visiting  ships.  Here  is  a  description  of  life 
in  a  torpedo-boat, — crowded,  dirty,  hot,  and  always 
rolling ;  the  decks  littered  with  various  things, 
the  crew  sleeping  in  every  corner.  Dogs  are  crowded 
together,  and  in  several  boats  there  are  monkeys. 
There  is  nowhere  to  walk.  The  crew — good,  resolute, 
bold,  and  crafty — are  crowded  with  the  officers, 
but  do  not  inconvenience  them. 

I  called  on  the  Borodino  and  went  into  the 
wardroom  and  captain's  cabin.  During  the  last 
voyage  they  got  up  theatricals  for  the  amusement 
of  the  crew.  They  were  very  successful.  The 
clowns  especially  excelled  ;  they  say  they  were  as 
good  as  professionals. 

The  sun  here  scorches  one  severely.  I  descended 
from  the  Kamchatka,  sat  on  the  wooden  thwart  of 

108 


BUYING  WOOD  IO9 

the  cutter,  and  jumped  up  quickly — I  had  burnt 
myself. 

December  2gth. — To-day  from  12.30  I  was  on 
shore  with  the  captain,  buying  wood.  We  were  at 
a  German  factory,  and  I  asked  the  Germans  to  send 
a  letter  when  opportunity  offered.  I  think  they 
may  be  depended  on. 

Letter  No.  74  was  sent  by  collier  to  Port  Said, 
where  the  mail  will  be  handed  over  to  the  Consul, 
and  he  will  dispatch  them  to  the  staff,  who  will 
forward  them  to  the  addresses — a  lengthy  pro- 
cedure. A  steamer  has  arrived  with  provisions 
(the  Esperanza). 

On  shore  I  saw  a  negro  suffering  from  the  so-called 
elephantiasis.  His  legs  were  swollen,  and  were 
as  thick  as  wooden  posts.  The  disease  only  attacks 
negroes  and  Malays. 

I  wonder  what  telegrams  the  admiral  has  re- 
ceived ?  A  French  torpedo-boat  brought  some 
service  telegrams,  as  well  as  private  ones,  from 
Mayung  (Mojanga).  The  former  are,  of  course,  in 
cipher.     They  are  deciphering  them  now. 

My  servant  has  just  come  to  ask  me  to  change 
his  Russian  money  for  French  money.  I  gave  him 
five  francs.  There  is  very  little  foreign  money  in 
the  fleet,  and  great  trouble  in  changing  Russian.    No 


HO  AT  MADAGASCAR 

decision  as  to  the  fate  of  our  fleet  has  been  received 
from  Petersburg.  They  are  silent — perhaps  they  are 
consulting. 

Three  officers  have  been  discharged  from  the 
fleet  :  an  ensign  who  went  mad,  a  lieutenant 
through  illness,  and  the  paymaster  of  the  Aurora. 
A  court  of  inquiry  has  been  appointed  to  survey 
the  transports  Malay  and  Kniaz  Gortchakoff, 
which  are  being  sent  to  Russia.  I  am  one  of 
the  members.  I  wanted  to  go  ashore  to-morrow, 
but  shall  not  be  able,  owing  to  this  inquiry.  It  is 
very  trying,  having  to  remain  waiting  the  decision 
of  the  fate  of  the  fleet  from  Petersburg. 

December  30th. — I  was  unable  to  finish  my  letter 
yesterday,  as  I  was  sent  to  the  Borodino.  I  went 
there  at  twelve,  midnight.  An  unfortunate  accident 
occured.  Two  sailors  went  into  the  wing  passage 
and  were  suffocated,  although  the  manhole  was 
open.  The  closeness  in  these  passages  is  frightful 
— there  is  little  air,  and  poisonous  gases  accumulate. 
The  sailors,  in  my  opinion,  became  weak,  could 
not  lift  themselves  up  the  ladder,  fell,  struck  their 
heads  on  something,  and  were  suffocated.  They 
wanted  to  make  a  post-mortem  on  the  deceased, 
but  did  not  do  so. 

I  passed  the  night    in    the    Borodino,    in    the 


SUNSTROKES  FREQUENT  III 

admiral's  dining-cabin  on  a  sofa.  At  six  I  got 
up,  having  slept  for  two  or  three  hours.  They 
provided  me  with  a  mat  and  a  pillow.  It  was 
fearfully  hot  and  stuffy,  although  the  doors  and 
ports  were  open.  The  heat  is  unbearable.  You 
are  always  wet  with  perspiration.  Yesterday  I 
saw  a  case  of  sickness  from  the  heat.  A  writer 
was  taken  ill  at  night,  though  it  was  cooler  then 
than  in  the  day. 

A  sailor  in  the  Suvaroff  was  also  nearly  suffocated 
in  the  wing  passage.  Sunstrokes  are  frequent.  I 
called  this  morning  at  the  Suvaroff,  and  was  im- 
mediately sent  on  board  the  Malay  for  the  inquiry. 
While  there  I  was  twice  sent  for  by  the  admiral. 
He  wrote  a  severe  order  about  the  death  of  the  two 
sailors  in  the  Borodino.  He  ordered  me  to  add  to 
this  order  some  technical  details.  Taking  advantage 
of  this,  I  toned  the  order  down  as  much  as  I  could 
in  sending  it  to  be  printed. 

At  four  o'clock  the  dead  sailors  from  the  Borodino 
were  buried.  The  admiral  was  present  at  the  requiem 
service.  Their  bodies  were  taken  in  a  boat  to  the 
torpedo-boat  Bravy.  She  took  them  further  out 
to  sea  and  committed  them  to  the  deep.  It  was 
a  sad  ceremony.  When  the  cutter  shoved  off  from 
the  Borodino  with  the  bodies,  they  fired  guns ;  the 


112  AT  MADAGASCAR 

band  played  the  funeral  march,  "  Kol  Slaven." 
The  officers  and  crews  of  all  the  ships  stood  at 
"  attention." 

Phew  !  how  stuffy  !  I  can  scarcely  write.  In  the 
Borodino  I  saw  that  the  officers,  to  escape  the  heat, 
slept  on  deck  among  the  coal,  like  the  crew,  undressed 
and  dirty.  The  beds  of  the  officers  are  only  distin- 
guished from  those  of  the  crew  by  being  mats.  When 
I  first  saw  this  sleeping  company  I  could  hardly 
believe  my  eyes. 

What  an  unfortunate  day  it  has  been  for  the  Ural ! 
In  the  morning  a  sailor  had  a  sunstroke,  and  in  the 
evening  two  officers,  an  ensign  and  a  lieutenant, 
were  struck  by  the  traveller  of  the  Temperley,1 
which  had  carried  away.  The  ensign  was  killed 
on  the  spot — his  chest  was  crushed  and  his  spine 
broken.  There  is  still  hope  of  saving  the  lieutenant. 
He  received  a  blow  on  the  head,  and  fell  down 
unconscious  ;  it  may  be  he  will  pull  through.  It 
is  a  strange  thing  about  this  lieutenant.  He  is  a 
Black  Sea  officer,  and  has  only  just  come  to  the 
Ural.  He  was  sent  from  the  Black  Sea  at  half 
an  hour's  notice  to  this  cruiser.  You  see  many 
officers  in  the  fleet,  but  his  Black  Sea  cap  (all  white 

1  An  apparatus  for  hoisting  coal  in  bags  out  of  colliers 
into  the  ships. 


A  PROPHECY  FULFILLED  113 

with  a  peak)  attracted  the  eye.  He  was  on  board 
the  Suvaroff  an  hour  before  the  accident.  They 
induced  him  to  remain  ;  he  was  late  for  his  watch  ; 
but  all  the  same,  to  his  misfortune,  he  went  to  his 
ship.  When  he  came  on  board  us  he  met  some 
comrades,  told  them  a  lot  about  the  Black  Sea 
fleet,  abused  it  and  its  personnel.  I  was  sitting 
near  and  was  an  involuntary  listener.  His  stories 
interested  me.  Abusing  the  personnel,  he  related 
how  three  of  his  comrades  with  whom  he  lived 
made  an  end  of  their  lives.  "  See,"  he  said,  "  I 
lived  with  four  comrades,  and  three  of  them  have 
put  an  end  to  their  lives,  and  something  of  the 
same  kind  will  happen  to  me."  He  said  this  about 
an  hour  before  the  accident.  For  a  few  minutes 
before  his  departure  I  talked  to  him,  and  he  told 
me  how  he  had  come  to  the  Ural. 

There  is  a  great  talk  in  the  wardroom  now  about 
the  Suvaroff  being  forbidden  communication  with 
the  shore,  because  a  sailor  was  absent  and  they 
made  no  attempt  to  find  him.  In  every  ship  you 
must  look  out  for  animals — parrots,  monkeys, 
oxen,  chicken,  geese,  chameleons,  frogs,  pigs,  and 
dogs ;  in  a  word,  every  sort  is  collected  together. 
In  one  of  the  ships  they  brought  a  snake  in  the  hay 
for  the  cattle.     It  bit  an  engineer  in  the  breast, 

8 


114  AT  MADAGASCAR 

which  swelled  tremendously.  They  feared  he  would 
die.     Now  he  is  all  right ;  the  swelling  has  subsided. 

It  is  late  ;  I  must  go  and  try  to  sleep.  Haven't 
slept  much  for  the  last  two  nights. 

December  31st. — There  has  been  a  great  deal  of 
talk  about  the  sending  of  money  to  Russia  for  the 
crew.  It  cannot  be  managed.  New  Year's  Eve 
is  on  us,  but  the  days  are  so  much  alike  that  no  one 
ever  thought  about  it  up  to  the  present  time. 
The  sailor  who  had  sunstroke  died,  and  after  death 
the  temperature  of  his  body  was  430  R. 

I  had  scarcely  finished  my  letter  when  I  had  to 
go  in  the  cutter  to  the  Ural.  The  Ural  is  one  of 
the  steamers  bought  from  the  Germans.  She  is 
very  well  finished.  In  the  saloons  are  paintings, 
gilt  and  carved  decorations.     She  is  very  big. 

I  went  below,  and  the  requiem  service  began.  I 
shall  not  forget  it  soon.  Here  were  joined  luxury 
and  poverty,  elegance  and  squalor.  The  church 
is  the  former  first-class  saloon,  now  the  wardroom, 
turned  into  a  shrine.  Eight  large  fans  made  a 
peculiar  noise  in  quick  time.  A  crowd  of  officers 
were  there,  dressed  in  white.  The  choir  sang  almost 
a  gay  chant — badly,  but  in  tune  ;  the  priest  helped 
them.  During  the  pauses  the  dull  noise  of  the 
fans  was  clearly  heard.    There  were  sentries   on 


A  SAD  SPECTACLE  1 1 5 

both  sides  of  the  coffin,  which  rested  on  a  rude 
table,  not  covered  with  anything.  It  was  more 
like  a  box  than  coffin,  and  had  been  made  roughly 
out  of  pine  boards,  badly  painted.  The  wood 
showed  through  the  paint  in  streaks.  During  the 
service  they  sewed  the  coffin  up  in  white  calico. 
They  could  not  find  a  whole  piece,  so  added  scraps. 
The  wreaths  were  composed  of  fresh  flowers. 

A  sad  spectacle.  Apparently  the  ensign  was  not 
killed  by  the  traveller,  but  by  the  Temperley  it- 
self. After  the  service  the  coffin  was  lowered  into 
the  boat  by  the  very  Temperley  that  wrought  the 
accident.  A  steam  cutter  towed  the  boat  to  the 
shore,  and  was  followed  by  a  long  line  of  boats, 
filled  with  the  funeral  party.  When  the  coffin 
was  being  lowered,  they  fired  a  gun,  and  all  ships 
put  their  ensigns  at  half-mast.  The  crews  stood 
at  "  attention,"  and  the  band  played  the  funeral 
march. 

Two  bands  awaited  the  procession  on  shore ; 
they  had  accompanied  the  other  dead  man. 
This  was  the  sailor  (from  the  same  Ural)  who  died 
from  sunstroke.  At  the  cemetery  the  funeral 
service  was  read,  the  coffins  lowered  into  the  graves, 
and  the  escort  fired  three  volleys.  Simple  crosses 
were  erected,  and  then   all   dispersed.    They  left 


Il6  AT  MADAGASCAR 

behind  two  Russians  to  lie  in  their  graves,  far  from 
their  fatherland,  among  strangers,  under  simple 
white  crosses  with  a  crooked  and  uneven  super- 
scription roughly  carved  on  them.  Little  did 
they  think  that  fate  would  send  them  death  far 
from  Russia  in  a  strange  country,  in  the  midst  of 
luxurious  though  foreign  nature  !  Little  did  they 
think  that  they  would  lie  side  by  side — that  both 
would  be  buried  in  the  same  hour.  Indeed,  one 
cannot  escape  fate. 

Another  sailor  has  gone  mad  in  the  Orel. 

But  enough  of  this.  .  .  . 

January  ist. — I  left  the  wardroom  at  four  o'clock. 
Many  remained  and  occupied  themselves  in  drinking. 
I  returned  on  board  the  Suvaroff  yesterday,  in  the 
Borodino's  boat. 

The  population  of  Nosi  Be  is  a  mixed  one.  You 
may  meet  negroes,  Malays,  Jews,  Indians,  and  a 
few  Europeans.  Horses  are  scarce,  and  you  travel 
in  litters  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  men. 

There  are  numerous  breeds  of  monkeys,  parrots, 
lizards,  crocodiles,  etc. 

Cattle  are  plentiful ;  the  oxen  have  humps,  and 
immense  horns.  Yesterday  a  scene  occurred  with 
the  oxen  !  When  the  funeral  procession  came  up 
to  the  cart,  to  which  oxen  were  harnessed,  the  band 


TELEGRAMS  FROM  PETERSBURG       117 

was  playing.  The  oxen  were  frightened  and  ran 
wild.  One  tore  himself  away  from  the  yoke  and 
charged  the  firing-party  following  the  coffin,  with 
lowered  horns.  A  catastrophe  was  narrowly 
averted.  They  soon  succeeded  in  driving  him 
away.  The  other  struggled  for  a  long  while  in 
the  yoke,  and  at  last  got  free. 

Chosen  officers  are  going  from  each  ship  to  all 
the  others  with  congratulations.  It  is  evident  that 
they  will  return  to  their  ships  late,  and  not  quite 
themselves.  They  are  treated  generously,  and 
offence  is  taken  if  they  drink  too  little. 

A  torpedo-boat  has  arrived  from  Mojanga  with 
telegrams ;  some  are  cipher  telegrams  from  Peters- 
burg— they  have  not  yet  read  them.  There  is  news 
that  the  Oleg  passed  through  the  Suez  Canal  on 
the  31st.  If  that  is  so,  she  may  arrive  here  on  the 
22nd  inst. 

Am  just  going  round  the  ships. 

January  2nd. — The  Kuban  has  arrived.  To- 
morrow I  may  go  on  board  her.  I  have  journeyed 
somewhat  to-day.  After  lunch  I  went  to  the  Aurora, 
Nachimoff,  Jemchug,  Sissoi,  and  Voronej.  The 
latter  belongs  to  the  volunteer  fleet.  On  board 
her  I  procured  a  thousand  cigarettes  for  ten 
roubles.     I  was  much  pleased  with  this.     In  going 


118  AT  MADAGASCAR 

on  board  the  Aurora  I  lost  the  top  of  my  helmet. 
It  acted  as  a  ventilator,  and  cannot  be  replaced. 
I  must  go  about  without  it. 

Several  of  us,  I  among  the  number,  have  prickly 
heat.  It  is  not  very  disquieting,  but  at  the  same 
time  does  not  afford  any  pleasure.  In  the  Jemchug, 
where  I  have  not  been  since  Libau,  they  did  not 
recognise  me.  I  am  so  changed  in  face,  owing 
to  my  beard. 

We  remain  here,  and  know  nothing  of  when  and 
where  we  are  going.  Probably  we  shall  wait  for 
the  Oleg,  Isumrud,  and  torpedo-boats.  Persistent 
rumours  are  floating  about  that  the  fleet  will  return. 
Letters  have  been  received  from  Sevastopol  with 
very  bad  news.  It  is  said  that  the  sailors  there 
have  mutinied  and  created  much  trouble.  They 
say  there  are  serious  disorders  in  Petersburg. 

To-day  I  should  have  gone  to  some  ships,  but  could 
not,  as  all  the  boats  were  away  for  the  exercise  of 
landing  parties.  Finished  my  work, ''  Notes  on  Ships 
of  the  Borodino  Type."  Handed  them  into  the  office 
to  be  typewritten.  If  it  is  true  that  we  leave  on 
the  6th  or  7th,  I  shall  hardly  be  able  to  send  them 
to  Petersburg.  Can  it  be  that  we  shall  not  wait 
for  the  Oleg  and  other  ships  coming  with  her  ? 
That    would    be    idiotic !     To    stay    quietly    and 


LUXURIOUS  BUT  USELESS  SHIPS  119 

strengthen  the  fleet  does  not  interfere  with  the 
cruisers  and  torpedo-boats. 

January  yd. — What  a  day  it  has  been !  I  scarcely- 
got  through  lunch  when,  at  two  o'clock,  I  went 
to  the  Donskoi,  from  there  to  the  Borodino,  and 
then  to  the  Ural.  Have  only  just  returned  to  the 
Suvaroff,  having  had  nothing  to  eat  anywhere, 
and  now  only  bread-and-butter.  It  is  a  good 
thing  I  fortified  myself  with  chocolate.  The  Ural 
is  the  former  steamer  Queen  Maria  Theresa.  She 
ran  between  Hamburg  and  America. 

There  are  a  lot  of  sick  in  the  fleet ;  two  belong 
to  the  staff,  the  flag  engineer  and  the  flag  intendant. 
The  senior  auditor  is  sick,  but  is  doing  his  duty. 
It  is  the  fault  of  this  climate. 

January  4th. — I  have  been  to  the  Kuban,  which 
was  formerly  a  German  passenger  steamer  and  ran 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  She  has  all  the  con- 
veniences of  life,  is  roomy  and  luxurious,  but  as  a 
warship  the  Kuban,  like  the  other  purchased  ships, 
is  useless.  She  has  few  guns  ;  their  calibre  is  small, 
and  there  is  no  armoured  protection.     All  is  wood. 

More  animals  have  made  their  appearance  in  the 
ship.  They  have  brought  a  hare,  a  porcupine,  and 
a  dog  off  from  the  shore.  Wherever  you  look  now 
you  see  birds,  beasts,  or  vermin.     On  deck  oxen  are 


120  AT  MADAGASCAR 

standing  ready  to  be  slaughtered  for  meat,  to  say 
nothing  of  fowls,  geese,  and  ducks.  In  the  cabins 
are  monkeys,  parrots,  and  chameleons. 

Having  scratched  you  a  letter,  I  went  to  put  it 
with  some  postcards  into  the  box.  At  the  post-office 
were  crowds  of  people,  hurrying  to  post  letters  to 
catch  the  outgoing  steamer.  I  scarcely  waited  to  buy 
stamps  for  the  postcards.  As  stamps  would  stick 
together  while  being  kept,  those  having  greater 
values  are  not  covered  with  gum.  This  is  very 
inconvenient,  as  you  have  not  always  gum  at  hand. 
I  had  to  buy  some  gum-arabic  in  a  shop.  Indians 
are  the  principal  shopkeepers  here.  Boys  in  the 
street  call  out  simple  words  of  Russian,  and  fre- 
quently repeat  them.  Profiting  by  the  arrival  of 
the  fleet,  everything  is  dreadfully  dear.  They  have 
never  before  done  such  a  roaring  trade.  One  of  the 
places  here  has  a  high-sounding  name — "  Parisian 
Cafe."  The  landlord  of  this  cafe  says  that  after 
the  departure  of  the  fleet  he  will  close  it  and  go  to 
Paris.     He  will  never  earn  more  than  now. 

From  the  post-office  I  went  to  this  cafe.  They 
persuaded  me  to  play  vint  (Russian  whist).  Close 
by  were  a  lot  of  officers  playing  macao.  They 
play  very  high  (during  our  stay  at  Nosi  Be  one 
officer  succeeded   in   losing  more  than    £400 — i.e. 


ON   SHORE  121 

4000  roubles).  I  did  not  sit  down  to  play 
macao  ;  but  just  trifled  with  it,  lost  sixty  francs, 
and  then  went  to  the  quay.  It  was  time — 
just  six  o'clock — and  the  boat  was  due  to  shove 
off.  By  seven  I  was  on  board,  having  been  on 
shore  less  than  four  hours.  On  going  into  my 
cabin  I  learnt  some  news.  We  leave  on  the  7th. 
The  post  was  sent  by  Giinsburg.  Whether  we  leave 
Madagascar  on  the  7th,  or  are  only  going  to 
change  our  anchorage,  I  do  not  know.  Either  is 
possible. 

January  $th. — I  went  on  shore  to-day.  There 
was  a  large  crowd  around  the  post-office,  all  Russians. 
Some  were  posting  letters,  others  buying  stamps. 
I  thought  I  would  go  into  a  cafe  to  get  a  drink. 
I  asked  for  a  bottle  of  soda-water  with  ice,  and 
squeezed  a  grenadine  into  it.  For  this  they  charged 
four  francs. 

I  left  the  cafe*  and  went  to  the  cemetery, 
where  the  Russians  and  other  Europeans  were 
buried,  and  sat  there  awhile.  It  is  a  poor  place,  all 
overgrown.  The  memorial  crosses  are  the  only 
white  spots.  Everything  is  sunk,  hidden  by  the 
tropical  growth.  It  is  almost  a  forest.  Many  birds 
flutter  about  in  the  trees — some  remarkably  pretty, 
with  rich  plumage  of  all  colours.     I  saw  a  colibri 


122  AT   MADAGASCAR 

there  (the  smallest  bird  in  the  world).  I  used  to 
think  they  were  considerably  smaller  than  they 
actually  are. 

From  the  cemetery  I  returned  to  the  post- 
office.  My  companion  lost  all  hope  of  posting 
his  letter,  so  many  were  waiting  their  turn.  I 
persuaded  him  to  remain,  and  we  managed  to  do 
our  business  there.  We  went  to  the  quay,  but  the 
boat  was  not  there.  We  had  to  wait,  so,  being 
tormented  by  thirst,  we  went  to  the  cafe\  I  drank 
a  bottle  of  lemonade,  and  my  companion  a  bottle 
of  beer,  and  it  cost  four  francs.  A  bottle  of  cham- 
pagne costs  forty  francs — i.e.  about  fifteen  roubles. 

In  every  corner  of  the  cafe  officers  from  the  fleet 
are  sitting  at  tables  and  playing  cards,  vint  and 
macao.  At  three  tables  macao  was  being  played 
for  heavy  stakes.  French  officers  from  the  torpedo 
gunboat  looked  on  in  astonishment.     I  did  not  play. 

Several  men  obtained  riding-horses  and  mules — 
tired,  broken,  and  lean  beasts.  A  large  number  of 
officers  from  the  Borodino  walked  through  a  virgin 
forest,  forcing  their  way  through  the  lianas.  They 
made  themselves  very  dirty.  Two  officers  from  the 
Suvaroff  went  out  shooting,  but  bagged  nothing. 
At  seven  o'clock  I  returned  on  board,  fairly  tired, 
having  walked  nearly  all  day. 


BLESSING  THE  WATER  1 23 

January  6th. — Although  I  was  tired,  I  went  to 
bed  last  night  at  twelve.  It  rained  all  night.  This 
cooled  our  hot  sides,  which  do  not  generally  grow 
cool  during  the  night. 

Now  there  are  constant  rain  squalls.  There  was 
mass,  prayers,  and  the  blessing  of  the  water  to-day. 
The  priest  made  a  procession  to  sprinkle  the  ensign 
and  the  jack.1  There  was  chicken  pie  for  lunch, 
but  a  very  inferior  one.  The  French  torpedo-boat 
again  brought  official  telegrams.  They  have  not 
yet  been  deciphered  :  perhaps  they  contain  some- 
thing interesting. 

January  yth. — Yesterday  a  steam  cutter  from  the 
Donskoi  went  aground.     They  got  her  off  to-day. 

A  native  came  and  complained  that  a  boat  from 
the  fleet  had  sunk  his  catamaran  (native  boat),  in 
which  was  a  case  of  champagne,  a  case  of  rum,  and 
a  box  of  lemons.     He  was  probably  indemnified. 

I  had  just  sat  down  to  write  when  I  was  required 
to  go  on  board  the  Jemchug.     Just  returned. 

The  ladies'  committee  of  the  "  Society  to  help  the 
Wounded  "  sent  the  admiral  the  ikon  of  St.  George 
"  the  Victorious,"  and  fifty  small  crosses  for  the 
officers  and  crew.     I  received  a  cross  and  hung  it 

1  A  small  flag  flown  in  the  bow  of  the  ship  when  at 
anchor. 


124  AT  MADAGASCAR 

to  a  chain  with  my  own.  It  is  very  pretty,  and 
made  of  mother-of-pearl. 

The  rainy  season,  which  should  have  begun  a 
fortnight  ago,  was  late.  It  has  now  begun — another 
pleasure  for  us. 

Many  of  the  wardroom  tumblers  are  broken. 
They  cannot  be  bought  here.  Jam-pots  are  used 
instead. 

It  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  the  local  traders 
live.  They  have  raised  all  prices  considerably,  and 
continue  to  raise  them. 

The  provision-ship  Esperanza  will  no  longer 
accompany  the  fleet.  I  wanted  to  go  ashore  at 
6  a.m.  to-morrow  with  some  one,  to  explore  the 
interior  of  the  island  ;  but  it  is  impossible.  An 
inquiry  is  to  be  held  in  the  Malay  to  survey  the 
coal  left  in  her.  I  have  to  take  a  part  in  this 
inquiry. 

Again  there  are  rumours  that  the  fleet  will  leave 
here  on  the  nth.  I  think  this  is  only  supposition. 
The  French  mail-steamer  leaves  for  Europe  on  the 
9th.  Perhaps  this  letter  will  be  the  last  that  will 
go  in  her.  There  will  then  be  a  break  in  my  letters. 
Steamers  do  not  often  call  here — only  once  or  twice 
a  month. 

Some  chameleons  were  brought  on  board,  and 


A  MAD   ENSIGN  1 25 

have  now  spread  all  over  the  ship.  They  are  harm- 
less ;  but  to  me,  at  all  events,  they  are  repulsive. 
Some  fellows  take  them  in  their  hands  and  allow 
them  to  crawl  over  their  heads  and  faces. 

January  8th. — Since  4  a.m.  there  has  been  such 
a  downpour,  difficult  to  imagine  if  you  have  not 
seen  it.  Many  men,  desiring  to  wash  in  fresh  water, 
took  advantage  of  the  rain  to  go  on  deck  with  a 
piece  of  soap  and  wash  themselves. 

At  this  blessed  moment  I  have  to  go  to  the 
inquiry  in  the  Malay. 

While  I  was  standing  at  a  closed  hatchway  on 
deck,  waiting  for  the  captain  of  the  Malay,  a  man 
was  wandering  about  in  white  uniform,  bare-footed 
and  capless.  I  paid  no  attention  to  him.  Suddenly 
he  approached  me  and  stretched  out  his  hand.  I 
hesitated,  thinking  he  was  a  drunken  sailor  playing 
a  joke.  "  I  knew  you  very  well  long  ago.  I  am 
Titoff,"  he  said.  Then  I  guessed  that  this  was  the 
mad  ensign  from  the  battleship  Orel.  I  shook  hands 
with  him,  and  said  that  I  had  not  recognised  him 
because  he  had  grown  a  beard,  although  in  deed  it 
was  only  of  two  or  three  days'  growth.  He  began 
to  laugh,  asked  me  if  I  feared  Death,  and  had  I 
seen  him  ;  and,  pointing  all  round,  he  said,  "  This 
is  all  Russia,"  etc.    They  were  not  very  pleasant 


126  AT  MADAGASCAR 

minutes  that  I  spent  in  his  company.  It  was  sad 
to  see  him.  He  walks  about  the  dirty  deck  half 
undressed.  He  does  what  he  likes.  He  may  fall 
overboard,  or  fall  down  a  hatchway,  or  slip  from 
a  ladder — no  one  looks  after  him.  A  melancholy 
spectacle  ! 

I  returned  to  the  Suvaroff  from  the  Malay  at 
twelve  o'clock.  I  was  hot  and  tired.  Now  the 
sun's  rays  are  nearly  vertical.  I  wetted  my  head 
with  salt  water  and  put  a  wet  handkerchief  in  my 
cap.  The  leather  of  my  boots  burnt  my  feet.  I 
found  a  letter  from  the  captain  of  the  Jemchug 
awaiting  me.  I  must  go  there  and  to  the  Donskoi. 
I  am  tired  of  going  to  the  latter  ;  I  have  to  go  there 
nearly  every  day.  I  lunched  in  my  cabin.  The 
orderly  who  waited  on  me  said,  "  I  have  brought 
you  a  beetle."  l  I  did  not  understand  at  first  what 
he  meant.  Apparently  it  was  a  block  of  wood  to 
put  under  the  feet  when  sitting  at  the  writing-table. 

6  p.m. — Have  been  to  the  Gortchakoff,  Borodino, 
Donskoi,  and  Jemchug.  In  the  latter  they  are  also 
using  jam-pots  as  tumblers.  It  is  a  wearisome 
cruise.  Officers  and  men  have  so  many  incon- 
veniences and  discomforts  to  bear. 

A  fine  company  are  collected  in  the  Malay  to 
1  An  implement  used  by  washerwomen. 


ARREST  OF  MUTINEERS  1 27 

go  back  to  Russia — the  sick,  prisoners,  men  dis- 
missed from  the  service,  lunatics,  and  drunkards. 
The  captain  has  already  reported  that  they  do  not 
obey  him — abuse  and  threaten  to  kill  him.  Their 
conduct  is  defiant,  and  they  will  not  submit  to  any 
orders.  If  they  do  not  send  a  trusty  guard  he  will 
always  have  to  carry  a  loaded  revolver,  and  shoot 
the  first  one  who  disobeys.  In  this  steamer  a  strong 
and  firm  captain  is  required  in  order  to  reach  a 
Russian  port  in  safety  with  such  a  crew. 

A  court  for  trying  offences  during  the  voyage  was 
appointed  to  the  fleet.  To-day  this  court  assembled 
to  try  a  sailor  of  the  Suvaroff.  He  had  abused 
the  chief  boatswain,  threatened,  and  disobeyed  the 
orders  of  the  first  lieutenant.  He  was  sentenced  to 
three  and  a  half  years  in  a  disciplinary  battalion. 
Probably  he  will  be  sent  to  Russia  in  the  Malay. 

January  gth. — The  foreboding  about  the  Malay 
is  beginning  to  be  justified.  Last  night  an  armed 
crew  had  to  be  sent  to  arrest  the  mutineers.  They 
arrested  four  of  the  Malay's  hired  crew.  These 
have  been  divided  among  the  battleships,  in  order 
that  they  may  be  put  in  cells.  The  most  insolent 
is  on  board  the  Suvaroff.  The  appearance  of  the 
armed  crew  in  the  Malay  produced  a  great  sensation. 
The  rest  of  her  crew  instantly  quieted  down.    They 


128  AT  MADAGASCAR 

evidently  had  not  expected  the  matter  to  end  in 
this  sad  way. 

After  those  arrested  have  done  some  days  in 
cells,  it  has  been  decided  to  put  them  on  shore  and 
abandon  them  to  the  dictates  of  fate.  To  be  in 
cells  on  board  the  Borodino  is  tolerable,  but  in 
the  Suvaroff,  "  God  forbid  !  "  The  temperature 
there  is  fearful,  and  there  is  no  ventilation.  I 
do  not  think  that  a  man  could  remain  there  long. 
Among  the  four  prisoners  one  only  is  the  ringleader. 
It  is  he  who  is  in  the  Suvaroff.  One  of  them  actually 
cried.  To  be  cast  upon  a  nearly  desert  shore  ! 
What  will  they  do  ?  There  is  no  employment  for 
them,  and  they  lack  the  means  of  getting  away. 
Could  they  join  the  foreign  legion  ?  It  is  not  here, 
now  that  this  place  is  unimportant. 

I  have  not  told  you  what  the  foreign  legion  is.  The 
French  Government  only  enlists  foreigners  in  it.  It 
is  stationed  in  wild  places  in  the  colonies  where  the 
population  is  unsettled.  Desperate  men,  criminals, 
escaped  convicts,  and  adventurers  serve  in  it.  On 
entering  it  they  do  not  ask  for  passports,  nor  do 
they  inquire  into  antecedents.  In  it  are  to  be  met 
representatives  of  every  nation  and  of  every  grade 
of  society.  Its  ranks  consist  of  common  soldiers, 
aristocrats,    officers,    and    hawkers.     Discipline   in 


PIANO-PLAYING  1 29 

the  legion  is  very  strict  in  order  to  keep  this  rabble 
in  submission.  There  are  said  to  be  many  Russians 
in  it.  The  legion  was  stationed  in  Madagascar  for 
a  long  time,  but  the  French  transferred  it  to  some 
other  place.  Now  they  regret  this,  and  have  brought 
the  legion  back,  because  it  required  so  large  a  force 
of  ordinary  troops  to  cope  with  the  natives.  The 
foreign  legion  alone  could  deal  with  them.  I  suppose 
it  dealt  harshly  and  savagely  with  the  natives, 
killing,  robbing  them,  and  burning  their  villages 
for  every  offence,  real  or  imaginary.  Owing  to 
this  the  settlements  were  peaceful,  and  dared  not 
rise  against  the  French. 

January  10th. — In  the  wardroom  of  the  Suvaroff 
there  is  a  piano  on  which  they  play  with  the  help 
of  a  pianola.  There  are  very  few  who  play  the 
piano.  To-day  a  sub-lieutenant  came  on  board 
from  another  ship.  He  proved  to  be  a  splendid 
musician.  For  a  long  time  they  listened  to  his 
playing.  Then  they  started  capering  and  playing 
tricks.  It  was  curious  to  see  officers  dancing  the 
cake  walk  and  the  Kamarinsky  (a  Russian  national 
dance),  etc.  They  dressed  up  for  these  dances. 
They  did  this  from  sheer  boredom.  This  weari- 
some and  monotonous  cruise  has  lasted  so  long. 
On  the  16th  the  fleet  will  have  been  kicking  their 

9 


130  AT  MADAGASCAR 

heels  here  for  a  month.  No  wonder  they  are  silly 
from  stagnation.  Here  is  another  of  their  amuse- 
ments— they  bait  the  dogs,  and  every  one  eagerly 
watches,  applauding  the  fighting  curs. 

There  are  many  suspicious  characters  in  Mada- 
gascar. One  appeared  at  Nosi  Be,  speaking  Russian. 
He  offered  his  services  as  contractor  to  supply 
provisions  for  the  Suvaroff  and  other  ships.  This 
person  roamed  about  in  Tamatave,  and  now  without 
any  apparent  cause  has  come  here.  He  is  very 
badly  dressed  and  has  long  hair  like  a  Slav  woman. 

The  mail-steamer  left  to-night  for  Europe.  From 
Mayung  cipher  telegrams  have  been  received. 
Perhaps  they  again  tell  us  nothing  useful.  The 
situation  of  the  fleet  is  most  unsettled.  Will  it 
return  to  Russia,  will  it  remain  somewhere  here,  or 
will  it  go  to  the  East  ?  No  one  knows.  This  un- 
certainty oppresses  me  as  well  as  others. 

Bad  meat  is  daily  thrown  overboard  in  the 
Esperanza.  Food  for  the  sharks  is  abundant.  They 
have  collected  in  great  numbers  at  Nosi  Be.  Nearly 
all  the  ships  keep  oxen  on  deck.  There  is  even  a 
cow  and  a  calf  on  board  the  Suvaroff.  They  have 
built  them  a  manger.  The  crew  look  after  them 
with  special  fondness,  feeding  them  with  bread 
and  giving  them  names. 


SHIPPING  ANIMALS  13I 

It  is  a  curious  sight,  watching  these  animals  being 
brought  on  board.  They  come  tied  up  in  boats,  and 
are  generally  hoisted  into  the  ship  by  means  of  a 
strop  (loop  of  rope)  tied  under  their  bodies.  For 
some  reason,  on  board  the  Suvaroff  they  are  dragged 
up  by  the  horns.  The  frightened  animals,  with 
wild  and  glaring  eyes,  struggle  violently,  hanging  in 
mid-air.  They  lie  down  on  deck  at  first,  half  crazy, 
and  then  suddenly  jump  on  their  feet  and  toss 
themselves  about.  They  are  then  held  and  pacified. 

It  was  quite  different  with  the  cow.  She 
tore  herself  loose  and  galloped  frantically  about 
the  deck.  All  the  spectators  fled  wherever  they 
could.  She  charged  at  the  deck-house,  where  an 
officer  was  sitting  writing.  He  had  hardly  time  to 
shut  and  lock  the  door.  Somehow  or  other  they 
caught  thercow,  but  her  milk  supply  has  ceased, 
owing  to  fright,  and  the  calf  is  still  young.  They 
now  feed  him  on  condensed  milk.  We  wonder  if 
the  milk  will  come  back  to  the  cow.  We  are  all 
interested  in  the  matter,  and  discuss  it  freely.  Life 
on  board  is  so  dreary,  dull,  and  monotonous,  that 
the  most  paltry  trifles,  which  we  would  never  dream 
of  talking  about  on  shore,  become  a  ceaseless  topic 
of  conversation.  If  we  only  could  get  quickly 
out  of  this  mire  ! 


132  AT   MADAGASCAR 

January  nth. — Heat,  stuffiness,  damp,  dirt — 
everywhere  beastliness,  deadly  gloom,  uncertainty 
of  the  near  future,  lack  of  news  from  the  seat  of 
war,  oppress  and  overwhelm  us  ;  but  can  incom- 
petence reigning  everywhere,  laziness,  stupidity, 
ignorance,  unwillingness  to  work,  listlessness,  make 
us  cheerful  ?  What  goes  on  here  is  perfectly 
incredible. 

There  is  news  that  the  Hamburg- American 
liner  Bengal  sank  near  the  southern  coast  of 
Madagascar,  having  ripped  her  bottom  on  a 
sunken  rock.  She  was  a  large  18,000-ton  steamer, 
and  was  bringing  coal  for  the  fleet.  Her  crew  were 
saved. 

A  deplorably  sad  and  stupid  incident  occurred 
in  the  Nachimoff  yesterday.  Ships  having  no 
bakery  on  board  obtain  their  bread,  when  at 
anchorage,  from  other  ships  or  from  the  shore. 
They  did  not  trouble  about  the  matter  in  the 
Nachimoff.  The  crew  were  living  on  rusks.  Yester- 
day they  demanded  fresh  bread.  The  affair  spread, 
and  the  men  offered  passive  resistance  by  not  dis- 
missing after  prayers,  though  ordered  to  do  so. 
There  is  now  to  be  an  inquiry.  At  other  times 
and  under  other  conditions  some  of  the  crew  would 
have  been  distributed  among  the  other  ships,  and 


A   PRISONER  133 

some  would  have  been  shot — there  would  have 
been  no  other  alternative.  Now  they  are  trying  to 
hush  the  matter  up.  In  spite  of  this,  some  will 
suffer. 

One  of  the  Malay  prisoners  who  was  in  cells  in 
the  Alexander  has  been  sent  to  the  hospital-ship 
Orel,  as  he  fell  ill  from  the  hot  temperature  in  his 
prison. 


CHAPTER    VI 

WAITING    FOR   ORDERS 

January  12th. — It  is  very  possible  that  on  the 
16th  the  fleet  will  receive  instructions  from 
Petersburg  either  to  return,  proceed  to  the  East,  or 
stay  somewhere  here  until  further  orders.  I  wish 
they  would  decide  quickly.  Uncertainty  is  worse  than 
anything.  It  is  very  unhealthy,  staying  here  during 
the  rainy  season.  Fevers,  dysentery,  and  similar 
delights  are  rampant.  Europeans  cannot  stand  the 
climate.  Anchorages  like  our  present  one  end  by 
having  a  bad  effect  on  the  spirits  of  the  crew.  They 
deteriorate.  The  affair  in  the  Nachimoff  serves  as 
an  example  of  this. 

There  has  been  a  signal  that  we  are  to  have 
steam  up  at  6.30  to-morrow  morning,  in  order 
to  go  out  to  sea  for  firing.  This  will  be  our  first 
practice  since  leaving  Revel. 

I  have  not  been  ashore  to-day.  I  was  lazy, 
though   the   weather   was   tolerable.     The   rain   is 

134 


A  LIVELY  OCCUPATION  I 35 

not  incessant.  They  have  brought  a  puppy  on 
board,  some  shellfish,  and  some  hermit  crabs. 
They  torment  the  molluscs  by  pouring  eau  de 
Cologne  over  them,  puffing  tobacco-smoke  at  them, 
and  by  burning  them  with  matches.  A  lively 
occupation,  but  really  it  is  excusable  ;  there  are 
no  distractions,  and  they  have  invented  this. 

January  13th. — Weather  is  pleasant  in  harbour ; 
probably  it  will  be  calm  at  sea  as  well.  We  are 
going  to  fire.  We  weighed  anchor  at  8  a.m.  French 
torpedo-boats  have  followed  us.  They  brought 
telegrams  from  Mayung.  They  went  into  harbour 
at  Nosi  Be,  and  handed  over  telegrams  to  the 
torpedo-boat  Bodry.  The  latter  pursued  the  Su- 
varoff,  and  passed  the  telegrams  to  the  admiral 
by  means  of  a  rope-end.  What  news  do  they 
contain  ? 

Firing  is  just  beginning.  Everything  is  tightly 
closed.  The  mirrors  have  been  taken  down  and 
crockery  put  away. 

6  p.m. — The  ships  have  finished  their  firing,  and 
we  are  now  going  into  the  anchorage. 

Reuter's  telegrams  state  that  Petersburg  and 
Moscow  are  under  martial  law  and  surrounded  by 
a  chain  of  troops  ;  that  the  mutiny  of  sailors  at 
Sevastopol  continues  ;    that  they  have  burnt  the 


136  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

barracks  and  Admiralty  there ;  that  the  troops 
have  refused  to  fire  on  the  mutineers  ;  and  that 
military  disorders  are  rife  throughout  Russia. 
These  telegrams  must  be  read  with  reserve,  but  I, 
at  any  rate,  believe  them.  During  manoeuvres 
to-day  the  Borodino  and  Alexander  nearly  collided. 
Thank  God,  this  accident  was  averted.  It  would 
have  been  appalling. 

A  few  days  ago  they  were  doing  some  work 
in  the  Suvaroff  and  opened  a  valve.  They  forgot 
to  shut  it,  and  opened  another  one  yesterday,  not 
knowing  that  the  first  had  not  been  closed.  In 
the  night  a  whole  compartment  was  flooded,  and 
water  poured  into  the  engine-room.  How  I  cursed 
that  I  had  come  in  the  fleet !  Here  you  sit  chained, 
seeing  the  mistakes  of  others,  and  are  powerless  to 
do  anything.  At  times  I  really  fear  that  I  shall 
go  mad. 

January  14th. — The  colliers  brought  news  that 
the  Oleg  has  captured  a  steamer  which  was  taking 
two  hundred  and  sixty  field-guns  to  Japan.  It 
sounds  improbable.  This  steamer,  as  far  as  I  know, 
should  have  gone  round  Africa  ;  and  there  our 
auxiliary  cruisers  awaited  her. 

I  went  to  a  cafe"  on  shore  and  played  cards.  I 
lost  170  francs  (about  64  roubles).     Returned  on 


PLAYING  FOR  HIGH   STAKES  1 37 

board  about  seven  o'clock,  late  for  dinner,  so  dined 
in  my  cabin.  On  shore  I  saw  the  man  who  was 
suspected  of  being  a  spy  He  is  very  like  a  Russian, 
and  wears  his  long  red  hair  like  an  artist. 

ii  p.m. — Wonderfully  practical  folk,  the  Ger- 
mans !  They  have  sent  officers  to  the  colliers  to 
help  the  captains.  These  officers  are  sent  in  order 
that  they  may  watch  our  cruise  and  give  useful 
information  to  their  own  navy.  Would  Russia  do 
anything  similar  ?  No,  never  !  This  is  why  we 
are  paying  so  dearly  now.  We  are  still  far  from 
having  a  fine  navy  or  army.  It  is  not  a  question 
of  soldiers,  but  of  organising  a  campaign,  of  constant 
preparation  and  of  foresight. 

What  a  variety  of  coinage  there  was  on  the  card- 
table — French,  English,  Russian,  Italian,  and  Aus- 
trian. They  play  for  very  high  stakes.  One 
lieutenant  in  an  hour  won  and  lost  5,000  francs. 

We  are  daily  expecting  the  arrival  of  the  Oleg, 
Isumrud,  and  torpedo-boats.  Judging  by  time, 
they  are  near  Nosi  Be.  This  is  according  to  tele- 
graphic agencies.  Official  news  we  never  receive. 
It  is  always  like  that  with  us  in  Russia. 

The  mail-steamer  from  Europe  arrives  on  the 
20th  and  returns  on  the  24th.  We  shall  evidently 
wait  here  for  her. 


138  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

The  supposition  that  we  should  remain  a  long 
time  in  Madagascar  is  amply  justified.  It  is  exactly 
a  month  to-morrow  since  the  fleet  arrived  at  this 
island.  That  is  how  time  flies.  We  have  lost  a 
whole  month  uselessly,  and  it  is  still  unknown  how 
much  longer  we  shall  be  here. 

What  are  they  thinking  of  in  Petersburg  ?  There 
are  rumours  here  that  after  Klado's  articles  the 
public  will  demand  the  return  of  the  fleet  to  Russia. 
Can  it  be  that,  even  now,  they  are  unable  to  decide 
whether  to  go  backward  or  forward  ?  The  upkeep 
of  the  fleet  costs  large  sums.  It  cannot  become 
better  or  stronger,  remaining  whole  weeks  at  anchor 
in  Nosi  Be.  On  the  contrary,  it  will  do  nothing 
but  harm.  By  wasting  time  here  we  give  the 
Japanese  the  chance  of  repairing  their  ships  and 
boilers.  They  are  secretly  preparing  to  meet  us 
now.  We  have  no  bases.  Can  we  be  trusting  to 
our  country  or  merely  to  luck  ?  What  were  they 
thinking  about  in  sending  the  fleet  ?  Our  fleet  is 
Russia's  last  might.  If  it  is  destroyed,  we  shall 
have  no  navy.  Every  one  thinks  this — I  am  not  the 
only  one.  All  this  can  scarcely  raise  the  spirits  of  the 
men.  Probably  something  similar  is  going  on  in  the 
army.  It  is  bad  !  Everything  is  bad,  and  there  are 
internal  disorders  as  well.     How  will  it  all  end  ? 


MAN   OVERBOARD  !  1 39 

January  i$th. — I  have  again  been  on  shore.  I 
learnt  that  the  steamer  Vladimir  of  the  volunteer 
fleet  is  leaking.  I  will  go  and  look  at  her  to-morrow. 
A  new  signboard  has  appeared  on  shore — "  Sko- 
polites,  contractor  of  the  fleet,"  in  freshly  painted 
characters. 

Shortly  before  leaving  the  ship  a  sailor  fell  into 
the  water  and  made  for  a  native  boat.  The  negro 
hawkers  took  five  francs  from  him,  and  wanted 
to  row  away  without  him.  The  sailor  was  rescued 
and  the  negroes  were  deprived  of  his  money.  The 
officers  buy  all  sorts  of  useless  rubbish,  which,  after 
they  have  taken  it  on  board,  is  thrown  aside  and 
forgotten.  I  posted  a  letter  to-day,  went  to  the 
cafe,  and  played  macao,  winning  250  francs.  I 
went  round  the  shops,  but,  finding  nothing  of  in- 
terest, returned  to  the  cafe\  I  did  not  play,  and 
afterwards  set  out  for  the  quay. 

The  Esperanza  has  just  come  from  sea.  She 
leaves  the  harbour  daily  to  throw  bad  meat  over- 
board. She  informs  us  that  she  saw  three  large 
warships  and  one  small  one  far  away.  Perhaps 
they  are  Japanese.  I  myself  saw  a  Japanese  on 
shore  to-day.  Many  others  saw  him.  At  one 
time  there  were  not  any  to  be  seen. 

Cipher    telegrams    have    again    been    received. 


I40  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

They  have  not  yet  been  deciphered.  It  is  astonish- 
ing that  they  should  inform  us  in  cipher  who  has 
received  rewards.  The  telegraphic  agencies  relate 
horrors  about  Russia's  internal  affairs.  Among 
other  things  they  mention  serious  disorders  in 
Petersburg.  They  say  that  it  has  come  to  barri- 
cades in  the  street — that  more  than  2,000  men  are 
killed,  and  more  than  7,000  wounded.  I  fancy 
they  lie,  but  there  is  never  smoke  without  fire. 

I  have  to  go  to  the  hospital-ship  Orel  to-morrow. 
The  boats  have  to  be  fitted  for  the  transport  of 
the  wounded.  What  were  they  thinking  of  before  ? 
This  steamer  was  fitted  out  as  a  hospital  and  cost 
a  great  deal  of  money,  but  the  boats  were  forgotten. 
Everywhere  we  make  some  stupid  mistake. 

My  beard  has  grown  tremendously,  and  is  very 
shaggy.  I  have  not  trimmed  it.  Every  one  hinted 
that  it  was  time  to  have  it  cut,  and  at  last  the 
admiral  and  flag-captain  spoke  about  it.  I  sum- 
moned the  sailor  Michael,  who  cut  it  so  short 
that,  looking  in  the  glass,  I  did  not  recognise 
myself. 

January  16th. — The  Esperanza's  news  has  pro- 
duced active  measures.  Until  the  moon  rises  all 
fighting-lamps  are  to  be  lit.  They  had  seen  that 
the  Japanese,  whom   I  mentioned  yesterday,   was 


GERMAN   COLLIERS  141 

sending  telegrams  by  heliograph.     He   attempted 
to  come  on  board  our  ships  with  the  contractors. 

The  German  colliers  brought  news  that  newly 
bought  ships  are  coming  to  reinforce  us,  and  are  at 
present  at  Cape  Verde.  Probably  this  is  another 
canard.  We  shall  soon  see  if  it  is  true.  It  is  a 
month's  voyage  for  them  to  Nosi  Be.  This  rein- 
forcement would  be  most  welcome.  I  do  not  believe 
in  it.  These  same  Germans  assure  us  that  the 
Black  Sea  fleet  has  left.  They  spoke  about  this 
long  ago,  and  there  is  no  sign  of  it.  They  evidently 
mistook  the  Oleg  and  her  companions  for  the  Black 
Sea  fleet. 

I  have  been  on  board  the  Keiff  and  Vladimir  of 
the  volunteer  fleet  to-day.  Life  in  them  is  heavenly 
compared  with  life  on  board  ships  of  the  Borodino 
type.  There  is  plenty  of  space  and  the  cabins  are 
large,  clean,  and  quiet.  They  live  well,  have  free 
communication  with  the  shore,  etc.  I  remained 
to  lunch  in  the  Vladimir,  and  returned  to  my  ship 
in  her  steamboat. 

Some  sailor  in  the  transport  Jupiter  out  of  revenge 
cast  off  the  collier's  boat  from  the  steamer  and  it 
drifted  ashore  with  the  current.  Although  it  was 
night  and  the  boat  was  floating  away  from  the 
transport,  they  managed  to  catch  it. 


142  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

There  is  a  church  on  shore.  Many  Roman 
Catholics  took  the  opportunity  of  making  their 
confession.  The  confession  was  an  empty  one — 
that  is,  they  did  not  confess  to  a  priest,  as  the 
greater  part  of  them  had  not  command  enough 
of  the  French  language  to  speak  of  their  sins. 

My  servant  brought  me  a  letter  to  be  sent  to  his 
wife.  "  My  wife,"  he  said,  "  is  also  called  Sophie." 
He  is  a  curious  fellow,  but  I  am  satisfied  with 
him. 

I  heard  various  details  of  the  Petersburg  dis- 
orders in  the  Vladimir. 

The  Europeans  here  live  in  a  most  extraordinary 
way.  They  come  to  the  colony  to  make  money, 
and  then  quickly  return  to  their  own  countries. 
They  deprive  themselves  of  everything.  They  live 
almost  in  huts,  and  do  not  spend  a  sou  more  than 
they  can  help.  After  a  few  years  of  such  life  they 
become  fairly  well  off,  and  leave  the  colony  for 
ever.  Their  abodes  are  like  a  camp.  The  furniture 
is  bad  and  broken.  There  are  no  conveniences, 
and  no  thought  of  comfort. 

There  is  no  news.  Telegrams  are  sent  by  helio- 
graph to  Diego  Suarez. 

January  lyth. — A  telegram  has  been  received 
saying  the  Rezvy  has  left  her  division,  and  remains 


THE  GOVERNOR  COMPLAINS  143 

at  Jibutil  owing  to  breakdown.     She  will  probably 
not  go  to  the  East  at  all. 

Yesterday  the  local  governor  came  to  the  admiral 
with  a  complaint  that  the  officers  of  the  fleet  play 
games  of  hazard  for  high  stakes  at  the  cafe.  Play 
is  forbidden  or  all  leave  will  be  stopped.  Two 
or  three  days  ago  the  German  colliers  celebrated 
Wilhelm's  birthday.  They  dressed  their  ship  with 
flags  and  drank  so  much  that  they  remained  drunk 
until  to-day. 

As  the  fleet  moves  forward  the  number  of  torpedo- 
boats  grows  less  and  less.  Those  that  remain 
with  us  have  damaged  boilers,  thanks  to  which 
they  are  unable  to  attain  their  full  speed. 

The  captain  of  the  port  at  Diego  Suarez  went 
round  our  ships.  He  was  saluted.  Evidently  this 
amused  him. 

To-morrow  part  of  the  fleet  are  going  to  sea  for 
target-practice. 

When  shall  we  leave  here  ?  We  are  losing  the 
best  weather.  Hurricanes,  cyclones,  and  storms 
will  begin  soon,  and  with  a  fleet  like  ours  the  voyage 
will  be  very  difficult.  Before  us  lies  an  immense 
passage — viz.  from  Madagascar  to  the  islands  of  the 
East  Indian  Archipelago. 

January  18th. — Owing  to  high  play  we  are  for- 


144  WAITING   FOR  ORDERS 

bidden  to  go  ashore  on  weekdays.  An  order  has 
been  given  to  verify  the  cash  of  all  the  paymasters 
in  the  fleet. 

The  inhabitants  of  Nosi  Be  consider  the  fleet  the 
cause  of  there  being  so  little  rain.  It  generally 
comes  down  in  bucketfuls  every  day  during  the 
rainy  season.  Now  the  rain  is  coming  at  intervals 
and  it  is  bad  for  the  crops.  The  natives  are  making 
offerings  and  have  started  a  religious  procession. 
Perhaps  they  are  right,  and  the  fleet  is  the  cause  of  so 
little  rain.  It  is  necessary  for  the  downpour  of 
tropical  rain  that  much  electricity  should  collect 
in  the  air.  It  may  be  that  the  masts  of  our  ships 
conduct  the  current  of  electricity  into  the  water, 
not  allowing  it  to  collect  in  sufficient  quantities  in 
the  air  for  rain.  Doubtless  the  natives  explain 
it  differently. 

More  and  more  frequently,  at  times,  there  falls 
on  me  complete  oblivion  to  my  surroundings.  I 
have  become  absolutely  apathetic.  Everything  is 
quite  indistinct.  Nothing  interests  me.  My  mind 
is  crushed.  I  have  such  attacks  of  endless  despair, 
such  fancies,  such  horrible  thoughts,  that,  by  God, 
I  do  not  know  what  to  do,  where  to  hide,  or  how 
to  forget  myself. 

8    p.m. — We   have   returned    and   anchored   at 


MUDDLED  INCIDENTS  145 

Nosi    Be.      To-morrow  the  fleet  must  go  to  sea 
again  for  firing. 

Since  this  morning  they  have  been  painting  my 
cabin.  How  am  I  to  sleep  ?  It  smells  strongly 
of  paint  and  turpentine.  It  will  most  probably 
give  me  a  headache. 

The  French  torpedo-boats  have  brought  neither 
telegrams  nor  news  to-day.  I  got  up  early  this 
morning  and  had  no  rest  during  the  day,  am  fear- 
fully tired,  and  shall  have  to  get  up  earlier  than  ever. 

January  igth. — Since  communication  with  the 
shore  is  forbidden,  I  have  to  take  every  opportunity 
of  sending  my  letters.  I  think  it  will  be  difficult 
for  you  to  read  my  epistles.  They  are  full  of 
broken,  unconnected  sentences  and  muddled  in- 
cidents. It  will  most  likely  be  difficult  for  me  to 
make  them  out  myself.  You  receive  several  at  a 
time,  and  that  makes  it  more  confused. 

Up  till  8  a.m.  we  were  getting  up  anchor,  and  then 
we  went  out  to  sea.  Yesterday  a  projectile  rico- 
chetted  on  to  the  Donskoi.  It  touched  the  bridge, 
slightly  damaged  it,  and  flew  further.  No  one  was 
killed  or  wounded,  thank  God  !  It  might  have 
had  a  much  worse  ending. 

At  five  o'clock  we  returned  to  Nosi  Be,  not 
having  hit  anything  this  time. 

10 


146  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

The  admiral  received  a  letter  from  the  individual 
whom  they  suspected  of  being  a  spy,  in  which  he 
complains  of  the  unjust  accusation.  He  says  that 
an  officer  tried  to  poison  him  when  he  went  on 
board  the  Ural,  and  that  the  Governor  has  offered 
to  send  him  away  from  Nosi  Be.  Finally,  he  begs 
for  money  for  his  passage.  The  contractor  with 
whom  he  came  on  board  explained  to  the  Governor 
about  him.  Among  other  things  the  contractor 
says  that  the  man  is  continually  disappearing,  that 
they  had  to  look  for  him  in  the  ship,  and  that 
once  he  ate  from  the  common  tub  with  the  crew. 
Knowing  Russian,  he  was  able  to  hide  from  the 
officers. 

Is  it  not  extraordinary  ?  A  spy  is  going  about 
our  ships  quite  unpunished.  It  is  a  marvel  !  As  if 
anything  similar  could  happen  to  the  Japanese  ! 
I  do  not  think  so  !  It  is  all  so  disgusting  that  I 
do  not  like  to  speak  of  it.  You  know  what  sort 
of  characters  there  are  in  the  fleet.  When  we  were 
in  Russia  a  man  came  and  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  join  the  fleet.  He  threatened  that  if  they  did 
not  take  him  he  would  shoot  himself,  and  appointed 
a  time.  They  accepted  him,  promoted  him  to  the 
rank  of  petty  officer,  and  then  discovered  that 
he  was  under  age.     However,  it  was  too  late  ;  he 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE   FRENCH   MAIL-BOAT        147 

is  now  cruising.  There  are  several  indications 
that  the  fleet  will  not  leave  here  soon. 

They  have  brought  news  from  the  shore  that 
Kuropatkin  is  about  to  take  the  initiative.  We 
have  already  heard  this  so  many  times  that  we  do 
not  believe  it. 

January  20th. — To-day  the  French  mail-boat 
ought  to  arrive.  Many  expect  letters.  Communica- 
tion with  the  shore  is  allowed.  I  do  not  want  to  go, 
and  have  asked  some  officers  to  buy  me  three  mats, 
three  caps,  and  some  postage  stamps.  I  do  not 
understand  how  they  can  go  ashore  just  as  the  mail 
will  be  brought  on  board  and  be  sorted.  Do  they 
really  not  care  for  the  letters  or  for  their  contents  ? 
No ;  evidently  "  we  are  not  all  made  of  the  same 
dough."  Force  would  not  take  me  out  of  the  ship 
just  now.  It  may  be  that  the  post  we  expected 
to  receive  from  the  Oleg  has  just  been  brought  by 
the  French  mail-steamer. 

What  a  disappointment  !  Only  boots  and  tobacco, 
which  were  ordered  and  not  sent  to  Admiral  Folker- 
sham  through  lack  of  time. 

They  brought  the  mail  to  the  Suvaroff  and  began 
sorting  it.  I  took  an  active  part,  cutting  the  bags, 
sorting  the  letters,  and  calling  out  the  names  of  the 
ships.     A  great  many  officers  helped.     Writers  came 


I48  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

from  all  the  ships,  and  surrounded  the  deck-house 
where  the  letters  were  being  sorted.  Sometimes  a 
letter  for  me  fell  into  my  hands.  I  put  it  into  my 
pocket.  Sometimes  my  name  was  called  out  and 
a  letter  given  me. 

The  sorting  ended,  I  flew  to  my  cabin,  and  there 
on  the  table  was  another  letter  and  a  large 
official  parcel.  The  latter  was  a  book  on  ship- 
construction  sent  by  the  Committee.  The  rest  of 
the  letters  were  from  you.  I  read  them,  and  did 
not  know  what  to  do.  I  was  agitated.  I  went 
and  sat  in  an  armchair  in  the  admiral's  after-cabin, 
and  gazed  and  gazed  through  the  balcony  door  at 
the  harbour. 

An  orderly  came  and  said  that  a  cadet  from 
the  Borodino  was  asking  for  me.  I  was  sur- 
prised. I  went  out,  and  he  gave  me  another 
packet  of  letters  bound  with  a  ribbon,  and  said  his 
captain  found  them  among  his  letters.  I  thanked 
the  cadet,  and  begged  him  to  express  my  thanks  to 
the  captain.  To  whom  were  not  letters  addressed  ? 
To  those  ships  lying  quietly  atLibau  and  Cronstadt, 
and  to  the  ships  that  had  been  destroyed  at  Port 
Arthur.  There  was  a  letter  for  Popoff,  who  was 
killed  in  the  Ural,  and  one  for  Titoff,  who  went 
mad  and  is  in  the  Malay.     Every  one,  having  read 


NEWS   FROM   HOME  149 

their  letters,  seized  the  papers  and  devoured  them 
greedily,  grew  heated,  and  quarrelled. 

Dinner  to-day  was  specially  lively.  Several  of 
the  staff  received  rewards.  Everybody  had 
letters  and  parcels,  and,  what  was  extraordinary, 
most  of  the  parcels  contained  warm  clothing. 
There  were  many  toasts  drunk,  and  the  band 
played.  Two  fellows  were  moved  to  tears.  They 
had  not  had  news  from  home  for  a  long  time,  and 
now  they  received  it  all  at  once.  If  a  torpedo-boat 
brings  me  your  telegram,  I  shall  be  quite  happy. 

January  21st. — A  Japanese  spy  came  on  board 
the  Suvaroff  yesterday  in  the  guise  of  a  trader. 
No  attempt,  even,  was  made  to  detain  him.  The 
officials  at  the  post-office  are  surprised  that  the 
Russians  send  all  their  letters  registered. 

From  the  post-office  went  round  the  shops  with 
an  officer.  I  bought  some  lovely  postcards.  We 
wandered  into  the  village.  A  dog  that  was  with 
us  had  a  slight  sunstroke.  We  took  it  into  a  cafe, 
rubbed  its  head  with  ice,  bathed  it,  and  now  it  has 
recovered. 

There  is  news  that  order  has  been  established 
in  Petersburg.  Thank  God  !  The  French  say  that 
the  Oleg  only  left  Jibutil  on  the  20th.  That  means 
she  will  not  be  here  for  a  week. 


150  WAITING   FOR   ORDERS 

They  have  just  read  aloud  in  the  wardroom  the 
answer  from  Admiral  Birilieff .  As  you  can  imagine, 
the  majority  are  furious  with  him.  They  say, 
"  How  dare  he  abuse  the  fleet  ?  Who  gave  him  the 
right  to  do  so  ?  He  knows  nothing  about  it,  though 
he  is  serving  in  the  navy."  These  naval  men  dare 
to  talk,  after  having  ignominiously  and  needlessly 
ruined  a  navy  twice  as  strong  as  the  Japanese, 
scarcely  doing  any  harm  to  the  latter. 

What  can  be  more  infamous  than  the  conduct  of 
our  navy  ?  There  has  been  nothing  like  it  since  the 
creation  of  the  world.  Words  fail  me  to  describe 
the  shameless  dishonour .  They  have  the  impertinence 
to  say,  "  Who  dare  criticise  us  ?  "  Imagine  what  I 
heard  to-day.  They  said,  "  What  the  devil  does  it 
mean  ?  It  is  perfectly  revolting !  Rewards  are 
showered  on  the  land  forces,  and  we  sailors  have  had 
nothing  for  Port  Arthur."  I  am  telling  you  the 
truth,  word  for  word.  When  I  heard  it  I  was 
thunderstruck. 

When  will  there  be  an  end  to  this  inefficiency, 
bragging,  and  conceit  ?  Russia  may  not  ask  these 
officers,  "  Where  is  the  navy  that  was  built  by  the 
sweat  of  millions  of  Russian  people  ?  What  has  it 
done  ?  Has  it  done  harm  to  the  enemy  ?  Will  it 
help  the  fatherland  ?     Will  it  add  to  the  glory  of 


NAVAL  DEMI-GODS  151 

Russia  ?  "  Oh  no  !  you  must  not  ask  sailors  these 
questions.  They  are  more  expert  engineers  than 
engineers  themselves.  They  have  more  legal  know- 
ledge than  lawyers.  The  naval  ministry  was  created 
for  themselves.  They  are  demi-gods.  They  only  are 
entitled  to  honours,  riches,  glory,  everything ;  but 
naval  work  they  do  not  understand.  They  do  not 
serve  for  war,  and  are  not  prepared  for  it.  The 
navy  is  to  them  the  means  of  getting  all  the  good 
things  of  life.  They  may  be  judges  of  others,  hold 
their  heads  high  and  say,  "  We  are  naval  officers. 
What  more  do  you  want  ?  " 

However  bitter  this  may  sound,  it  is  true. 
Do  you  remember  my  telling  you  how  it  would  be  ? 
This  voyage  confirms  my  old  opinions.  To  think 
that  Russia  counts  on  them  !  I  never  cared  for 
Birilieff  as  a  man,  but  we  must  thank  him  and 
Klado  for  their  articles.  Let  Russia  make  acquaint- 
ance with  the  archaic  systems  of,  and  what  she 
can  expect  from,  our  glorious  Russian  navy. 

I  was  getting  ready  for  church  just  as  they  brought 
me  your  telegram.  I  was  tremendously  pleased, 
and  no  wonder,  as  I  was  waiting  nine  days  for  my 
answer. 

They  are  sending  the  band  to  play  on  the  shore. 
The  officers  played  tennis  with  the  governor  and 


152  WAITING   FOR   ORDERS 

his  wife.  A  sad  thing  happened  on  shore :  a 
sailor  hit  a  petty  officer  in  the  face. 

January  24th. — Thanks  to  the  affair  yesterday, 
leave  to  go  ashore  is  only  granted  for  the  half-day. 
If  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  send  a  boat  later, 
then  they  have  to  ask  the  admiral's  permission. 

It  appears  that  there  were  several  disturbances 
on  shore  yesterday,  and  all  caused  by  a  petty 
officer. 

To-morrow  we  are  going  to  sea  for  target-practice. 
To-day  the  torpedo-boat  Blestyastchy  (Brilliant) 
lowered  a  boat,  which  capsized.  Three  men  were 
drowned.  There  are  fatalities  in  the  fleet  nearly 
every  day. 

January  25th. — I  read  the  newspaper  cuttings  you 
sent  me.  While  the  ships  went  out  for  target- 
practice,  the  mining  cutters  were  left  behind  for 
exercise.  They  went  a  little  way  out  to  sea,  and 
saved  six  natives  whose  catamaran  upset. 

One  officer  had  sunstroke,  but  recovered.  It  is 
very  dangerous  to  go  about  here  with  an  uncovered 
head,  or  to  take  off  one's  cap  frequently,  even  if  the 
sun  is  behind  clouds.  The  Europeans  do  not  risk 
going  out  of  doors  without  a  helmet.  They  con- 
tinually warn  Russians,  but  we  are  like  the  man 
who  does  not  cross  himself  when  it  is  not  thundering. 


WASTED  TIME  1 53 

Perhaps  we  shall  go  to  sea  to-morrow  for  evolutions 
and  firing.  On  Sunday  it  is  proposed  to  have  a  race 
for  the  boats  of  all  ships  in  the  fleet.  Many  are 
grumbling— they  will  not  be  able  to  go  ashore  owing 
to  these  races. 

What  a  lot  of  time  the  fleet  has  wasted  lying 
here  !  We  might  have  been  at  Vladivostok  by  now. 
The  Oleg  is  detained  somewhere.  She  will  arrive 
at  the  end  of  the  month.  I  think  with  horror  that, 
even  with  her  arrival,  in  Petersburg  they  have  not 
yet  decided  our  fate,  but  compel  us  to  wait  for  the 
third  fleet.  And  when  will  it  reach  here  !  Not  for 
a  long  time — not  for  a  very  long  time. 

January  26th. — When  I  was  in  the  wardroom  on 
board  the  Aurora  a  cannon-shot  suddenly  thundered 
overhead.  It  was  the  Kamchatka  saluting  the 
corpse  of  the  sailor  who  died  in  the  hospital-ship 
Orel.  Passing  the  Kamchatka,  with  white  foam  at 
her  bows,  was  a  long,  narrow,  black  torpedo-boat. 
A  row  of  men  dressed  all  in  white  stood  on  her  deck. 
The  sound  of  the  funeral  hymn  was  heard.  In  the 
stern  stood  the  priest  with  incense,  near  the  coffin, 
which  was  sewn  up  with  yellow  canvas  and  covered 
with   St.   Andrew's  flag.1      The   torpedo-boat   was 

1  The  Russian  naval  flag  is  white,  with  a  blue  St. 
Andrew's  cross  on  it. 


154  WAITING   FOR  ORDERS 

carrying  out  to  sea  for  burial  another  Russian,  who 
had  died  far  from  home.  Many  have  perished  in 
the  fleet.  Not  long  ago  three  men  were  drowned. 
Another  one  has  died  to-day.  I  am  told  that 
during  the  evolutions  of  the  fleet  the  Suvaroff  nearly 
rammed  the  Kuban. 

January  26th. — It  is  exactly  a  year  to-day  since 
the  war  with  Japan  began.  A  sad  anniversary  ! 
Up  to  now  this  war  has  brought  us  nothing  but 
shame,  misfortune,  and  ruin. 

The  Svietlana  was  told  to  bring  the  Russian  mail 
from  Mojanga.  We  received  it  at  six  o'clock. 
There  is  again  a  mix-up  of  addresses.  Letters  were 
addressed  to  the  Electrotechnical  Institute  of  the 
Emperor  Alexander  III. 

January  2gth. — A  curious  comedy  has  been 
enacted  on  shore  by  the  Governor's  wife  and  the 
wife  of  a  merchant.  The  Governor's  wife  came 
to  the  other  lady  and  accused  her  of  spreading 
scandal,  saying  that  the  Governor  had  complained 
to  Admiral  Rojdestvensky  that  the  Russian  officers 
were  getting  drunk  on  shore.  "  My  husband," 
said  the  Governor's  wife,  "did  not  go  to  the  admiral; 
but  your  husband  went  to  complain  that  the  officers 
were  behaving  badly.  I  know  why  he  did  it.  The 
officers  did  not  get  drunk,  but  they  paid  you  atten- 


A  CASE  OF  WOMEN  1 55 

tions  and  you  encouraged  them.  It  is  owing  to 
you  that  the  officers  are  not  allowed  on  shore,"  etc. 

The  ladies  were  thoroughly  frightened.  The  mer- 
chant has  now  written  to  the  flag-captain,  stating 
this  story  and  asking  for  "  satisfaction,"  as  he 
never  complained,  and,  on  the  contrary,  could  not 
praise  enough  the  behaviour  of  the  officers.  (I  told 
you  why  their  leave  was  stopped — it  was  owing  to 
their  gambling  at  cards.)  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know  how  the  flag-captain  answered  the  merchant, 
and  what  the  latter  will  do  with  the  "  satisfaction  " 
if  he  gets  it.     Again  it  is  a  case  of  women. 

I  wanted  to  seal  a  parcel,  and  remembered  that 
they  do  not  accept  them  with  seals  at  the  post- 
office,  as  sealing-wax  melts  from  the  heat. 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  the  traders  make 
a  living  here.  They  have  opened  several  shops 
and  raised  the  prices  tremendously.  They  intrigue 
against  each  other  and  complain  to  the  admiral. 
The  Esperanza  bought  up  all  the  provisions  at 
Mojanga,  and  has  now  gone  for  materials.  What  a 
quantity  of  money  the  ships  have  spent  here  !  Truly 
Russia  has  enriched  Nosi  Be,  Mojanga,  and  Diego 
Suarez.  They  have  even  ordered  goods  from 
France. 

January  30th. — It  is  very  hot  to-day.     It  is  long 


156  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

since  there  were  heavy  rains.  Light  rain  does  not 
cool  the  sides  of  the  ship,  which  remain  hot  the 
whole  twenty-four  hours. 

Lunch  to-day  was  interrupted  by  the  funeral  of 
a  sailor  of  the  Borodino.  The  torpedo-boat  passed 
the  Suvaroff  with  his  body.  The  man  died  in  a  very 
strange  way.  He  was  in  the  hospital-ship  Orel. 
He  was  discharged  from  the  sick-list,  and  was  sitting 
waiting  for  the  boat  to  take  him  back  to  the  Borodino 
when  he  fell  down  dead.  Behind  the  torpedo-boat 
came  a  steamboat  with  the  captain.  He  was  accom- 
panying his  sailor  to  burial. 

The  majority  of  officers  have  leave  to  go  ashore 
to-day  until  6  p.m.  The  watches  of  a  good  number 
are  damaged,  broken,  or  choked  with  dust.  They 
have  bought  up  all  the  watches  in  the  place,  and 
many  of  these  are  broken  and  cannot  be  mended. 
They  have  cleared  everything  out  of  Mojanga.  At 
the  bank  they  cannot  even  change  a  credit  note 
for  a  few  thousand  francs. 

A  good  many  people  earn  a  living  as  money- 
changers. For  a  pound  they  sometimes  give  24 
francs  50  centimes,  and  sometimes  25  francs  40 
centimes.  Thus  on  a  pound,  which  is  less  than  ten 
roubles,  you  lose  about  34  copecks  (8d.).  The  fleet 
is    paid    in    pounds,    and    loses    considerably.     A 


HOW  GERMANS  DO   BUSINESS  I$7 

German  company  here  buys  up  all  the  pounds  and 
gains  large  profits.  The  officers  want  to  ask  them 
to  change  the  credit  notes. 

This  is  how  the  Germans  do  business.  They 
buy  land  and  let  it  to  ruined  Frenchmen,  com- 
pelling them  to  sell  vanilla  at  a  low  price.  They 
buy  up  leather,  cocoa-nut  oil,  coffee,  etc.,  and 
send  it  green  to  Europe,  where  it  is  sold  at  im- 
mense profit. 

They  say  that  when  the  band  played  on  shore 
to-day  the  local  queen  was  present.  She  is  of  no 
importance,  and  has  been  left  alone  by  the  French, 
who  are  the  real  owners  of  the  country.  This 
queen  behaves  with  dignity,  and  does  not  ask  for 
money. 

A  sailor  in  the  Oslyabya  stole  a  box  of  church 
offerings.  He  was  found  out  and  arrested,  and 
will  probably  be  tried  by  special  court. 

January  31s/. — I  went  ashore  at  10  a.m.  I  went 
to  a  vanilla  plantation,  called  at  the  church  and 
at  the  school,  which  is  kept  by  the  Carmelite  order. 
I  am  sitting  in  a  restaurant  with  an  officer.  We 
are  drinking  lemonade  with  grenadines  and  ice  in 
it.  By  twelve  I  shall  be  on  board  the  Suvaroff,  and 
at  one  attend  a  court  of  inquiry.  At  the  plantation 
we  had  an  argument  with  some  Frenchmen  because 


158  WAITING   FOR  ORDERS 

we  had  broken  a  branch  of  vanilla.  The  heat  was 
so  great  that  I  drank  plain  water,  which  I  never 
do  on  shore.  It  is  extraordinary  how  spoilt  the 
natives  are.  They  followed  us  all  the  time,  although 
we  drove  them  off,  and  then  demanded  a  tip. 

February  4th. — There  has  been  a  dreadful  storm. 
The  lightning  was  blinding  and  the  thunder  abso- 
lutely deafening.  Russian  sign-boards  are  hung 
all  over  Nosi  Be.  Among  them  is  the  following  : 
"  Tremendous  bargains  !    Come  and  buy." 

There  is  a  dearth  of  stamps  in  the  post-office. 
For  a  long  time  there  have  been  no  25-centime 
stamps,  and  very  few  of  any  other  kind. 

February  $th. — The  admiral  has  been  unwell 
lately.  He  had  neuralgia  so  badly  yesterday  that 
he  even  moaned.  He  did  not  sleep  last  night,  and 
is  now  lying  down.  He  does  not  listen  to  the  doctor's 
advice.     He  did  not  come  to  morning  tea  or  lunch. 

I  had  my  hair  cut  and  my  beard  trimmed.  Do  you 
know  how  this  operation  is  performed  ?  The 
flagship's  barber  Michael  appears  in  dirty  working 
clothes,  with  a  box  in  which  are  a  machine,  an  old 
brush,  and  a  razor.  You  sit  on  a  chair  and  cover 
yourself  with  a  towel.  Michael  cuts.  It  is  hot, 
and  the  perspiration  drops  from  his  face.  Having 
finished,  he  puts  up  his    implements,   receives    a 


THE  ADMIRAL  ILL  159 

copper,  shakes  out  the  towel,  hangs  it  up,  gathers 
up  from  the  deck  the  fallen  hairs,  presses  them 
into  his  fist,  and  departs.    All  this  is  done  so  simply. 

The  admiral  did  not  leave  his  cabin  even  for  meals 
to-day.  The  doctors  now  say  that  he  has  rheu- 
matism. Last  night  he  cried  out  with  pain.  They 
wanted  some  ice  for  him.  There  was  none  in  the 
Suvaroff,  so  an  officer  went  to  the  other  ships  to 
find  some.     The  confusion  was  great. 

February  6th. — As  the  admiral  is  ill  I  did  not  get 
up  for  breakfast.  Woke  just  before  nine  and  went  to 
sleep  again  until  five  o'clock.  It  was  not  very  hot 
and  stuffy.  Usually  it  is  impossible  to  sleep  by 
day  in  a  cabin. 

There  was  mass  to-day. 

A  Frenchman  who  has  opened  a  shop  on  shore 
came  to  tell  us  about  a  Japanese  spy.  We  do  not 
believe  him,  and  think  he  is  making  a  report  to 
advertise  his  wares.  As  a  rule  Frenchmen  are 
great  humbugs.  The  admiral  recovered  and  came 
to  dinner.  Some  of  the  officials  at  the  post-office 
have  learnt  Russian  words.  They  show  off  their 
knowledge  by  writing  "  Petersburg"  on  the  receipts 
in  Russian. 

We  still  remain  here,  and  Nosi  Be  is  getting 
quite    Russianised.     From     the     telegrams    which 


160  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

the  French  torpedo-boat  brought  from  Mojanga 
we  learn  that  the  Governor-General  of  Moscow 
has  been  killed,  and  that  the  third  fleet  left  Libau 
on  February  2nd. 

It  will  be  a  surprise  if  we  are  obliged  to  wait 
for  the  famous  third  fleet.  It  is  very  injurious 
for  our  ships,  being  kept  in  Nosi  Be.  Their  under- 
water parts  will  be  covered  with  barnacles  and 
waterweeds  (commonly  known  as  beard).  Owing 
to  this  ships  steam  considerably  slower  and  re- 
quire a  greater  expenditure  of  coal,  etc.  The 
barnacles  and  beard  have  to  be  cleaned  off  in  dock, 
and  there  are  none  available  in  this  part  of  the 
world.  Cleaning  the  underwater  parts  with  the 
help  of  divers  is  slow  and  unsatisfactory.  How 
important  it  is  may  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  even 
merchant  ships  voyaging  in  southern  and  eastern 
waters  go  into  dock  to  be  cleaned  at  least  once  in 
six  months.  We  shall  arrive  in  the  East  with  dirty 
ships,  and  the  Japanese  will  meet  us  in  clean  ones. 
Our  ships  will  have  just  made  a  long  voyage,  and 
theirs  will  come  out  of  harbour. 

Another  fine  thing  is  that  the  Japanese  will  raise 
our  ships  sunk  at  Port  Arthur,  repair  them,  and 
oppose  them  to  us  under  their  old  names.  They 
will   strengthen  their  fleet  in  this  way,  and  what  a 


HARPING  ON   THE  OLD  TUNE  l6l 

disgrace  it  will  be  for  Russia.  Imagine  the  scene ! 
Some  Poltava  or  Retvizan  will  fire  on  the  Suvaroff. 
It  is  too  disgusting  to  think  of  !  And  who  is  it 
who  has  annihilated  the  fleet  ?  The  Japs — "  Apes," 
asourgallant  sailors  call  them!  Such  self-confidence, 
conceit,  and  contempt  for  the  monkey  Japs  will  cost 
Russia  dearly.  Here  I  go  again,  harping  on  the  old 
tune.     I  had  better  stop,  as  it  does  not  help. 

February  yth. — I  lunched  in  the  battleship  Orel. 
Had  soup  with  rice — and  caterpillars.  A  satisfying 
meal,  was  it  not  ?  The  officers  of  the  Orel  are  con- 
vinced that  for  several  evenings  running  they  have 
seen  a  balloon  on  the  horizon  signalling  with  lights. 
One  of  the  officers  thought  of  ordering  himself  a 
pair  of  white  trousers  made  out  of  a  sheet,  as  material 
is  not  to  be  had.  There  is  a  consoling  description 
of  the  Cesarevitch's  damages.  Fifteen  twelve-inch 
shells  struck  her  (this  is  a  tremendous  number,  and 
twelve-inch  shells  are  the  heaviest),  and  not  one 
pierced  her  armour.  Our  battleships  Suvaroff, 
Borodino,  Alexander,  and  Orel  are  better  armoured 
than  the  Cesarevitch.  If  twelve-inch  shells  could 
not  pierce  her  armour,  smaller  projectiles  can  do 
almost  nothing — that  is,  if  they  hit  protected  parts. 
Some  of  the  eye-witnesses  in  the  Rossia  and  Gromoboi 
say  that  the  first  impressions  of  the  battle  were 

ii 


162  WAITING  FOR  ORDERS 

horrible.  Everything  was  upside-down  and  broken 
to  bits.  You  looked  round  and  saw  that  nothing 
that  was  behind  armour  was  touched,  and  no 
substantial  damage  done  to  the  ship.  All  this  is 
very  nice,  but  an  endless  stay  at  Nosi  Be  deprives 
one  of  all  energy. 

February  8th. — I  have  been  to  the  Anadir,  Kam- 
chatka, and  to  the  shore.  I  went  to  the  cemetery. 
The  caretaker  showed  me  the  grave  of  a  Japanese. 
I  told  him  to  put  Popoff's  grave  in  order,  as  it  had 
fallen  in. 

February  gth. — A  "  tragic  occurrence  "  took  place 
in  the  Suvaroff  to-day.  Some  one  had  eaten  a 
monkey.  There  remained  only  a  bit  of  tail  and  a 
piece  of  skin.  This  is  the  work  of  either  rats  or 
dogs. 

I  called  at  a  torpedo-boat  this  morning.  The 
captain  and  officer  were  sitting  on  deck  drinking 
tea.  Both  were  barefooted  and  in  vests  and  white 
trousers.  I  cannot  get  accustomed  to  such  a  sight, 
somehow.  The  captain's  left  foot  astonished  me. 
It  had  only  one  toe.  All  the  rest  had  been  torn  off 
long  ago.     The  sight  of  it  gave  me  a  queer  feeling. 

To-day  there  was  a  court-martial  on  an  officer. 
In  defence  of  another  officer  he  had  written  a  report 
in  a  very  insolent  manner  to  the  captain.     By  order 


A  STORM   IN   A  TEA-CUP  163 

of  the  admiral  the  officer  was  dismissed  from  the 
Ural  in  January,  and  now  he  is  placed  on  the  retired 
list  by  the  general  staff.  I  do  not  know  how  the 
trial  will  end.  They  say  he  is  a  very  good  fellow. 
The  offence  of  which  he  is  accused  is  very  seriously 
punished — either  by  degradation  to  the  rank  of 
sailor  or  confinement  in  a  fortress. 

February  10th. — The  court  sentenced  the  officer 
to  be  dismissed  the  service  and  deprivation  of  rank. 
The  sentence  will  go  to  the  admiral  for  confirmation. 
The  punishment  imposed  by  the  court  is  the  lightest 
possible.  It  came  out  that  there  is  much  slackness 
in  the   Ural.     The  matter  will  hardly  end  here,  as 

they  say  K is  an  obstinate  man,  and  will  raise 

it  again  in  Petersburg. 

There  has  just  been  a  storm  in  a  tea-cup.  Smoke 
appeared  from  a  cabin.  They  manned  the  pumps 
and  nearly  rang  the  fire  alarm.  It  was  discovered 
that  a  white  tunic  lying  in  a  basket  had  caught 
fire.  They  pulled  out  the  basket,  drew  out  the 
tunic,  and  the  panic  subsided. 

The  meat  at  dinner  to-day  was  bad.  I  ate  a 
good  deal  before  I  discovered  what  was  the  matter. 

I  am  trying  to  find  a  tortoise  on  shore.  If  I 
find  one,  I  shall  keep  its  shell  for  combs  and  hair- 
pins for  you. 


164  WAITING  FOR   ORDERS 

From  several  sources  news  has  been  received  that 
there  are  Japanese  ships  near  Madagascar.  The 
Japanese  would  hardly  be  so  stupid  as  to  split  up 
their  fleet.  Things  have  come  to  such  a  pass  in  our 
ships  that  they  are  positively  certain  that  the  fleet 
will  return  to  Russia  on  March  15th.  They  told 
me  this  in  the  Nachimoff,  announcing  this  sensa- 
tional news  as  the  latest  trustworthy  information. 
I  stayed  a  long  time  in  the  wardroom  of  the  Nachi- 
moff,  talking  to  an  engineer  whom  I  had  known  at 
school. 

Four  sailors  of  the  torpedo-boat  Grozny  (Menacing) 
broke  into  a  hut  and  stole  the  contents.  They 
were  caught.  There  will  be  a  trial,  and  they 
will  be  severely  punished.  Is  it  worth  it  ?  The 
damage  is  assessed  by  the  negroes  at  sixty  francs, 
all  told.     The  men  will  be  ruined  for  a  mere  trifle. 

The  heat  is  dreadful  !  You  "  stew  in  your  own 
juice,"  as  they  say  here,  and  you  drink  without 
ceasing.  It  is  a  good  thing  that  the  refrigerator  in 
the  Suvaroff  is  repaired  and  you  can  have  ice.  At 
the  present  moment  I  have  a  glass  of  iced  water  by 
me.  It  cannot  be  had  by  all.  When  the  refrigerator 
was  not  working  they  obtained  ice  for  the  admiral 
from  other  ships.  You  cannot  imagine  the  delight 
of  drinking  something  cold,  if  you  have  not  ex- 


CIGARETTES  AND  CHAMPAGNE  165 

perienced  such  great  heat.  They  make  a  good  deal 
of  ice  artificially  in  the  fleet,  and  on  shore  they  trade 
in  it. 

I  have  heard  there  are  cigarettes  in  the  Tamboff  : 
I  must  go  and  get  some. 

February  1.2th. — Under  cover  of  the  French  news- 
papers they  are  talking  about  the  conclusion  of 
peace.  They  begin  to  say  that  it  must  be  concluded, 
come  what  may — even  to  paying  a  large  indemnity. 
Has  Russia  really  come  to  this  ?  Is  the  war  really 
lost  ?  I  cannot  bear  to  think  so  !  The  disgrace 
was  already  bad  enough,  but  what  a  shameful  end- 
ing !  Unhappy  times  !  Everything  is  going  badly, 
both  at  the  war  and  in  the  interior  of  Russia.  How 
will  it   all  end  ? 

They  say  that  in  the  Tamboff  cigarettes  are 
being  sold  at  fifteen  roubles  a  hundred.  It  is 
very  dear,  but  there  is  nothing  to  be  done.  I 
shall  be  glad  if  I  can  get  some,  even  at  that  price. 

Several  cases  of  champagne  were  brought  to  the 
Suvaroff  to-day.  Some  sailors  managed  to  conceal 
one  and  hid  it  in  the  furnace  of  a  boiler.  They 
were  caught.  If  the  matter  is  officially  dealt  with, 
they  will  suffer  severely. 

February  14th. — I  sent  a  telegram  to  you  yester- 
day.   There  are  many  sailors  who  have  not  been 


1 66  WAITING  FOR   ORDERS 

on  shore  since  we  left  Cronstadt.  A  large  number 
were  last  on  shore  at  Revel.  A  short  time  ago  a 
sailor  of  the  Kamchatka  took  two  lifebelts,  jumped 
overboard  at  night,  and  struck  out  for  the  shore. 
He  was  seen  by  chance  while  swimming.  The 
searchlight  was  turned  on  to  him.  "  I  was  tired 
of  being  on  board,  could  endure  it  no  longer,  and 
wanted  to  go  on  shore,"  he  said  in  his  defence.  I 
quite  understood  the  man's  feelings.  I  am  much 
astonished  at  many  of  the  officers.  They  have 
not  been  on  dry  land  since  they  left  Revel,  although 
they  have  had  opportunities  of  leaving  the  ship. 

My  spirits  are  depressed.  Nothing  is  known  as 
to  when  our  wanderings  will  end.  I  am  ready  to 
do  almost  anything — even  to  leaving  the  fleet, 
which  perhaps  will  not  go  to  the  East  until  the  war 
is  over.  How  I  curse  myself  for  having  come  !  Do 
you  know  there  are  forty-two  ships  at  Nosi  Be 
under  the  Russian  naval  and  merchant  flags  ?  A 
solid  figure,  but  how  many  are  only  transports  ? 
How  many  officers  and  men,  do  you  suppose  ?  I 
fancy  considerably  more  than  12,000. 


CHAPTER    VII 

EVENTS   AT   NOSI   BE 

February  15th. — I  must  without  fail  go  on  shore 
to-day  after  dinner  to  post  my  letters.  I  do  not 
trust  others. 

I  saw  a  wedding  of  a  mulatto  and  a  Malagassy. 
A  long  procession  of  negroes  went  to  the  mayor's 
to  sign  the  contract,  and  then  went  to  the  church, 
where  the  priest  married  them.  I  looked  on  at  the 
ceremony.  Both  were  young  and  dressed  like 
Europeans,  and  had  boots  on.  The  bride  wore  a 
veil,  white  dress,  etc.  During  the  marriage  service 
dogs  ran  about  the  church,  but  this  did  not  disturb 
any  one.  Probably  dogs  are  not  considered  unclean 
animals  here.1  Black  boys  served  the  priest.  The 
priest  himself  was  a  European  missionary.  The 
whole  church  was  full  of  black  worshippers.  Of 
course,  there  were  many  of  our  officers  there  as 
spectators.     After  the  service  the  little  Malagassy 

1  In  Russia  a  church  has  to  be  re-consecrated  after  a 
dog  has  entered  it. 

167 


168  EVENTS  AT   NOSI   BE 

with  his  wife  on  his  arm  walked  round  among  the 
guests  collecting  money.  I  gave  them  a  franc. 
It  seemed  strange,  seeing  a  Christian  church  full  of 
blacks  reverently  fulfilling  Christian  rites. 

How  dreadfully  the  men  drink  sometimes  !  To- 
day I  saw  a  sailor  being  carried  on  a  stretcher, 
unconscious  and  shaking  with  spasms.  It  was  a 
repulsive  sight.  They  say  the  captain  of  the  Oleg  is 
in  poor  health.  If  it  is  consumption,  the  result  will 
be  a  sad  one.  If  there  is  only  the  suspicion  of  it, 
in  this  climate  the  end  comes  quickly.  The  ward- 
room have  made  another  acquisition.  They  have 
obtained  a  small  crocodile  from  somewhere.  The 
Suvaroff  is  positively  becoming  a  floating  menagerie. 

We  shall  probably  leave  for  the  East  at  the  end 
of  the  month.  If  that  is  the  case,  why  is  the  third 
fleet  sent  ?  Every  one  acts  as  he  thinks  fit.  There 
are  no  plans,  forethought,  or  system. 

February  16th. — There  is  anxiety  about  the  fate 
of  the  Irtish.  She  was  at  Port  Said  on  January  9th, 
and  should  have  been  here  long  ago.  They  have 
telegraphed  asking  about  her.  It  is  exactly  two 
months  to-day  since  we  came  to  Madagascar.  If 
we  leave  Nosi  Be  and  go  straight  to  the  East, 
there  will  be  a  great  break  in  my  letters  and  tele- 
grams.    Do  not  be  anxious.     It  is  quite  normal, 


A  CABIN   FULL  OF   MONKEYS  169 

as  we  have  before  us  a  voyage  which,  under  favour- 
able conditions,  lasts  twenty  days. 

To-day  I  indulged  myself  and  drank  some  kvass l 
in  the  Aurora.  I  stayed  there  some  time.  Many 
officers  are  sceptical,  and  do  not  believe  that  we 
shall  go  to  the  East. 

Wrangles  are  beginning.  Two  of  the  captains 
of  torpedo-boats  quarrelled  as  to  where  they  were 
to  lie  for  coaling.  One  of  them  was  so  much  in- 
sulted that  he  went  to  the  Suvaroff  in  his  torpedo- 
boat  to  complain.  No  sooner  was  this  story  done 
than  another  began.  The  flagship's  torpedo  officer, 
who  had  a  number  of  monkeys,  received  an  order 
to  rid  the  ship  of  these  animals  (he  had  a  cabin  full 
of  them).  This  order  was  brought  out  owing  to  a 
report  from  the  senior  staff-officer,  in  whose  cabin 
one  of  the  monkeys  had  been  and  made  himself  at 
home.  They  contradicted  each  other  in  the  flag- 
captain's  cabin,  and  the  story  promises  to  be  played 
out.  In  the  evening  an  officer  of  the  Suvaroff  shouted 
out  something  to  the  Oslyabya,  who  did  not  notice  a 
peace  attack  of  torpedo-boats.  In  the  Oslyabya  they 
are  anxious  to  know  the  name  of  the  officer.  There 
will  probably  be  a  complaint  to  the  staff  to-morrow. 

February  ijth. — I  do  not  know  how  the  quarrel 
1  A  liquor  made  of  rye  flour  and  malt. 


170  EVENTS  AT   NOSI   BE 

of  the  torpedo  captains  has  ended.  One  of  them 
came  to  the  staff  to-day  with  explanations. 

February  igth. — I  have  bought  myself  about 
2,000  cigarettes.  They  are  without  mouthpieces. 
The  tobacco  is  black  and  the  taste  indifferent.  If 
I  cannot  get  Russian  ones  I  must  content  myself 
with  these. 

I  had  to  go  on  board  the  Borodino  late  this 
evening.  It  was  not  very  pleasant.  Frequently 
the  challenge  of  the  sentries  in  the  ships  which 
we  have  to  pass  is  not  heard,  owing  to  the 
noise  of  the  water  and  the  steam.  They  fire 
instantly  if  the  boat  does  not  give  the  counter- 
sign. 

Some  telegram  from  Europe  was  posted  up  at 
the  post-office.  The  Governor  ordered  it  to  be 
taken  down,  so  that  Russian  officers  should  not 
read  it.  Can  it  be  another  terrible  misfortune  ? 
The  telegrams  that  remained  announced  that  the 
Japanese  had  cut  off  Vladivostok  almost  completely. 
There  are  hardly  any  war  stores  in  Vladivostok. 
Four  steamers  were  sent  from  there  to  Port  Arthur 
while  it  was  holding  out,  and  all  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Japanese.  They  are  taking  the  guns  from 
Port  Arthur  and  are  fortifying  the  coast  of  Korea 
with  them. 


DAMAGED   MACHINERY  I  "Jl 

Where  can  our  fleet  go  if  Vladivostok  is  cut 
off  ?  Even  if  we  succeed  in  getting  there  before 
it  is  captured,  there  are  no  stores  there,  and  in  the 
fleet  there  are  few.  We  starving  shall  come  to 
the  famished.  The  fleet  will  then  perish,  as  it  did 
at  Port  Arthur.  Do  you  know  that  the  Bogatyr 
sank  while  coming  out  of  dock  ?  They  were  able 
to  place  a  floating  dock  under  her.  The  Japanese 
have  sent  cruisers  and  torpedo-boats  to  Vladivostok. 
Matters  are  going  badly  for  Kuropatkin. 

Have  you  heard  that  Japan  and  France  have 
concluded  the  following  agreement  ?  Our  fleet  can 
remain  at  Nosi  Be  as  long  as  it  is  convenient,  but  if 
it  leaves  even  for  only  three  days,  then  it  shall  not 
have  the  right  to  enter  a  French  port  for  three 
months. 

Yes,  it  must  be  admitted  the  situation  of 
Russia  is  desperate.  There  are  many  things  I 
cannot  tell  you  of  on  paper.  They  would  not  im- 
prove the  general  outlook.  The  Esperanza,  which 
is  lying  at  Mojanga,  has  prepared  to  come  here 
four  times,  and  each  time  her  machinery  has 
been  damaged.  Evidently  her  crew  have  done  it 
purposely. 

I  received  your  telegram  to-day.  In  it  is  one 
word,  "  Well  "  ;  at  all  events,  I  know  you  are  alive. 


172  EVENTS   AT   NOSI    BE 

Since   the  beginning  of   December   our  Admiralty 
has  not  sent  us  a  single  letter. 

I  went  to  church  to-day.  It  is  the  memorial  day 
of  those  warriors  who  laid  down  their  lives  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

At  eleven  o'clock  I  set  out  for  the  Borodino.  I 
was  induced  to  put  on  my  dirk.  I  never  wear  it, 
but  hung  it  on  for  this  occasion.  In  going  down  the 
ladder  I  caught  it  on  something.  It  came  out, 
fell  into  the  water,  and  sank  in  twelve  fathoms. 
It  is  impossible  to  get  it.  An  engineer  in  the 
Borodino  promised  to  make  me  a  dummy  handle. 
I  shall  wear  it  fastened  to  the  scabbard,  so  that 
it  will  look  all  right.  Of  course,  a  proper  dirk  is 
not  to  be  had  here. 

There  was  a  very  grand  and  gay  lunch  in  the 
Borodino.  They  decorated  the  wardroom,  covered 
the  deck  with  carpets,  and  arranged  plants  in  every 
corner.  They  laid  the  table  in  the  form  of  the 
letter  it  (p),  placed  flower-pots  on  them,  and 
scattered  flowers  on  the  table-cloth.  In  front  of 
each  place  was  an  illuminated  menu.  There  were 
many  guests.  The  band  played.  They  are  a  very 
happy  ship.  They  are  always  joking,  laughing, 
and  amusing  themselves,  and  yet  they  never  forget 
their  duty. 


WINE   FLOWS   IN   STREAMS  1 73 

After  lunch  had  been  reduced  to  fragments, 
the  wine  flowed  in  streams.  They  stationed  the 
band  close  to  the  wardroom.  Several  officers 
conducted  the  band  themselves.  They  played  my 
beloved  Little  Russian  march.  At  first  I  drank 
nothing,  but  having  eaten  my  fill,  and  sitting  listening 
to  the  band  and  hearing  the  march,  I  began  to 
drink  champagne.  Many  were  drinking  it,  and 
with  each  glass  I  remembered  how  you  feared  I 
should  take  to  drink.  Several  officers  began  to 
dance.     At  six  o'clock  I  returned  to  my  ship. 

The  mail-steamer  Esperanza  has  arrived.  There 
were  very  few  letters  for  the  fleet.  There  was 
only  one  bag,  and  that  was  sent  by  Gtinsburg 
(agents).  From  the  newspapers  we  learn  what  is 
going  on  in  Russia,  and  the  orders  of  our  Ministry 
about  killed  and  wounded,  etc.  I  cannot  speak 
calmly.  My  anger  rises,  and  I  am  ready  to  do 
God  knows  what  !  How  I  curse  myself  for  having 
come ! 

February  23rd. — At  last  the  Irtish  has  been 
found.  She  left  Jibutil  on  the  17th,  so  will  be  here 
on  the  27th  or  28th.  If  only  a  mail  could  be  brought 
by  her,  but  our  Ministry  would  never  have  thought 
that  they  could  send  letters  to  Jibutil  up  to  the  17th. 
From  there  the  Irtish  could  have  brought   them 


174  EVENTS  AT  NOSI   BE 

to  the  fleet.  Although  there  is  little  hope  of  this, 
I  shall  await  her  arrival  with  impatience. 

February  24th. — I  have  just  returned  from  the 
harbour.  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  the  work 
of  the  divers  in  the  Jemchug  ;  they  have  carried  it  out 
brilliantly.  I  was  rather  doubtful  of  success  at 
first.  I  asked  that  a  letter  should  be  written  to 
the  admiral  about  the  successful  work  of  the  officers 
and  divers  who  took  part  in  it.  The  captain  pro- 
mised to  do  so,  and  I  for  my  part  undertook  to 
put  in  a  few  words. 

Some  home-made  kvass  has  made  its  appear- 
ance in  the  Suvaroff.  I  drink  it  incessantly.  It 
is  indifferent  kvass,  but  at  least  it  is  Russian.  A 
boy  from  the  Borodino,  whose  name  I  do  not  remem- 
ber, has  just  come  to  ask  me  to  help  him  gain  per- 
mission to  be  examined  for  the  rank  of  petty  officer. 

I  am  preparing  myself  to  go  ashore  at  three 
o'clock.  I  shall  call  at  the  post-office,  walk  through 
the  streets,  and  freshen  myself  up.  The  shore  at 
least  is  a  change,  however  dull  it  may  be. 

February  26th. — The  Malagassy  are  beginning 
to  be  impertinent  in  offering  their  services.  Euro- 
peans do  not  stand  on  much  ceremony  with  them. 
When  they  saw  me  with  a  parcel  in  my  hands,  a 
crowd  rushed  to  the  verandah  of  the  shop.     The 


A  POSTCARD   FOR  THE  ADMIRAL  1 75 

European  clerk  grew  angry,  jumped  up,  and  kicked 
them  like  dogs.  It  did  not  disconcert  them  in  the 
least. 

At  the  post-office  I  was  given  telegrams  and 
local  letters  for  the  fleet.  Among  the  letters 
was  a  postcard  for  Admiral  Rojdestvensky.  On 
it  the  Germans  were  jeering  at  him  about  the 
North  Sea  affair,  and  advising  him  to  return,  "  the 
more  so  as  they  have  prepared  vodky  for  you."  1 

At  three  o'clock  a  wireless  message  was  received 
from  the  Irtish.  At  eight  she  arrived  in  the  harbour. 
There  is  scarcely  a  line  in  her.  The  cursed  staff 
have  not  sent  the  mail  by  her,  although  they  might 
easily  have  done  so.  The  Irtish  was  lying  at 
Jibutil  for  nearly  a  month.  How  every  one  abused 
the  staff  !  Can  you  wonder  at  it,  when  even  the 
chief  of  the  staff  himself  sends  letters  to  his  son  by 
Giinsburg.  How  can  we  fight  Japan  when  they 
cannot  arrange  such  a  simple  matter  as  sending 
the  mails  ?  We  have  not  received  a  word  from 
home  for  two  and  a  half  months,  thanks  to  their 
negligence  in  not  putting  two  and  two  together. 
If  they  cannot  do  this  much  that  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  moral  welfare  of  the  personnel 

1  "  They  will  give  you  a  warm  welcome."  Vodky  is  a 
very  strong  spirit,  drunk  everywhere  in  Russia. 


176  EVENTS  AT   NOSI   BE 

of  the  fleet,  how  are  they  to  contend  against  an 
enterprising  foe  like  Japan  ?  Knowing  their  dis- 
position, I  little  expected  to  receive  anything  by 
the  Irtish ;  but  others  were  certain  that  there 
would  be  a  very  large  mail.  Their  disappointment 
is  very  great.  The  first  officer  of  the  Irtish  went 
mad,  and  was  sent  back  to  Russia  from  Suez.  I 
hope  to  go  on  board  her  to-morrow,  and  must  also 
go  to  the  Borodino. 

February  2jth. — I  counted  on  getting  cigarettes 
in  the  Irtish,  but  there  were  none.  They  required 
them  themselves. 

In  many  ships  they  have  mass  on  the  upper 
deck.  I  saw  two  such  services  to-day — in  the 
Oslyabya  and  the  Borodino.  I  found  my  way 
to  the  latter  and  remained  to  lunch.  They 
had  pancakes,  with  smetana.1  I  conversed  with 
the  captain  a  long  time,  and  returned  to  the  Suvaroff 
at  two  o'clock. 

A  theatrical  troupe  has  been  got  up  on  board 
the  Borodino,  consisting  of  ten  sailors.  They  are 
frequently  invited  to  other  ships  to  give  plays. 

How  they  are  cursing  the  General  Staff   about 
the  mail  !     In   several   ships   they  want    to    tele- 
graph   to    the    Novoe    Vremya    that    the    officers 
1  Smetana  is  sour  cream. 


NEWS  ABOUT  MUKDEN  177 

request  their  relations  and  friends  to  send  their 
letters  through  Giinsburg's  agency  at  Odessa. 
Some  day  I  will  tell  you  the  part  that  Giinsburg 
has  played  in  the  history  of  the  war.  Without 
him  all  would  have  been  lost.  He  provided  drink, 
food,  and  necessaries  for  the  whole  fleet. 

News  has  been  received  that  Mukden  has  been 
taken  by  the  Japanese,  that  the  road  on  the  flank 
of  the  army  has  been  cut,  that  we  have  lost  50,000 
killed  and  wounded  and  50,000  prisoners.  A  fearful 
catastrophe  !  At  the  present  condition  of  affairs 
the  war  may  be  considered  lost.  We  must  expect 
every  minute  to  hear  that  Vladivostok  is  either 
besieged  or  taken.  It  is  useless  for  the  fleet  to  go 
on.  Poor  Russia,  when  will  your  trials  be  ended  ? 
One  misfortune  brings  forth  another. 

February  28th. — It  is  creditably  asserted  that 
from  Europe  and  America  they  are  taking  shells, 
ammunition,  guns,  armour,  and  provisions  to 
Japan,  and  there  are  even  steamers  loaded  with 
only  milk.  Large  flotillas  of  transports  are  on 
their  way  thither.  The  Japanese  navy  and  army 
are  furnished  in  abundance  with  every  necessary. 
Supplies  are  procured  in  an  unbroken  flow. 

Russia  is  a  contrast  to  Japan.  In  Manchuria 
our    troops   are   starving,    cold — not   clothed,  anc 

12 


178  EVENTS  AT   NOSI   BE 

barefooted ;  guns  and  projectiles  are  scarce.  And 
our  fleet — it  is  ludicrous  even  to  compare  it  with  the 
Japanese  !  We  are  now  lying  waiting  the  arrival 
of  Giinsburg's  steamer  Regina,  which  should  bring 
some  provisions.  One  steamer  !  and  our  foe  has 
ten! 

I  am  no  prophet,  but  remember  my  words.  In 
the  middle  of  March  Japan  will  be  master  of  the 
island  of  Sagalien,  and  in  April,  if  not  sooner, 
will  besiege  Vladivostok,  or  effect  a  landing  close  by. 
Is  it  worth  while  sending  our  fleet  to  the  East  ?  Let 
us  suppose  Vladivostok  holds  out  until  our  arrival, 
and  that  our  fleet,  after  having  engaged  in  battle 
with  the  Japanese,  reaches  it.  What  then  ?  At 
Vladivostok  there  is  little  coal ;  there  are  no  shells, 
powder,  or  guns  ;  and  how  many  shall  we  have  left 
after  the  fight  ?  Again,  the  Japanese  ships  after 
the  fight  would  go  to  Sasebo,  Nagasaki,  and  other 
ports  ;  and,  quickly  repairing  their  damages,  would 
be  ready  to  fight  again.  What  should  we  do  ? 
At  Vladivostok  there  is  only  one  dock.  There  are 
no  good  workshops,  no  materials,  no  workmen. 
It  is  quite  enough  to  remember  how  long  they  took 
repairing  the  Gromoboi  and  Bogatyr.  Vladivostok 
will  be  a  second  Port  Arthur.  All  this  is  supposing 
that  Vladivostok  can  hold  out,  and  that  the  result 


EXAMINING  THE  "AURORA"  1 79 

of  the  fight  will  be  the  same  for  us  as  for  the  Japanese. 
It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  we  have  to  go  into 
action  with  a  crew  wearied  by  a  tremendous  voyage, 
and  that  we  have  to  defend  our  transports,  etc. 

Perhaps  the  Regina  will  bring  us  a  mail.  We 
expect  her  in  a  few  days. 

I  examined  the  places  in  the  Aurora  that  were 
struck  by  projectiles  at  the  time  of  the  North  Sea 
incident.  One  of  the  projectiles  turned  at  nearly 
a  right  angle  during  its  destructive  flight. 

The  heat  is  considerable.  How  accurately  I 
have  calculated  the  time !  I  reckoned  that  on 
March  1st  the  fleet  would  be  at  Vladivostok.  It 
appears  that  I  was  not  far  wrong.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  misfortunes  at  Port  Arthur  and  on  land, 
we  should,  according  to  secret  plans,  have  been 
approaching  Vladivostok  on  March  1st.  In  the 
programme  which  I  worked  out  in  Russia  I  only 
made  an  error  of  a  few  days. 

In  Japan  they  are  hastily  finishing  the  construc- 
tion of  a  large  cruiser.  By  the  middle  of  March 
a  large  number  of  gunboats  will  be  prepared,  which 
can  be  made  use  of  in  the  Amur  river. 

I  was  specially  sent  for  to  the  Kamchatka  about 
her  rudder.  I  thought  God  knows  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  it  turned  out  to  be  a  trifle.     There  was  a 


l8o  EVENTS  AT   NOSI   BE 

great  show  in  the  wardroom  in  the  evening.  A 
rat  hunt  was  organised,  and  many  killed.  It  is  a 
relaxation  from  care.  For  a  long  time  they  carried 
on  a  successful  hunt,  in  which  the  ship's  dogs  took 
a  part. 

March  ist. — We  might  get  a  mail  by  the  Regina, 
which  arrives  on  the  5th.  We  have  begun  active 
preparations  for  a  very  long  cruise.  It  will  be 
very  sad  if  we  go  without  waiting  for  the  mails. 
In  any  case,  the  fleet  should  wait  for  the  Regina. 
It  is  impossible  to  move  forward  without  the  pro- 
visions which  are  coming  in  her.  We  are  evidently 
not  intended  to  wait  for  the  third  fleet.  Why  do 
they  spend  more  money  for  nothing  by  sending  it  ? 
If  our  fleet  loses  the  battle,  can  the  third  fleet 
continue  its  voyage  independently  ?  Even  if  the 
battle  Ms  indecisive  in  its  results,  it  is  impossible  for 
it  to  go  to  the  East.  A  signal  has  been  made  for 
all  ships  to  be  ready  to  get  up  anchor  in  twenty-four 
hours.     The  Regina  has  not  come  yet. 

The  Suvaroff  was  built  in  the  Baltic  shipyard. 
How  often  have  I  looked  at  her  !  Sometimes,  even, 
with  ill  will.  Perhaps  I  had  then  a  presentiment 
that  my  fate  would  be  closely  bound  up  with 
hers. 

I  will  send  my  letters  by  a  boat  going  ashore. 


A  SIGNAL   FOR   STEAM  l8l 

I  do  not  know  if  I  shall  be  able  to  leave  the  ship 
myself.  I  feel  much  calmer  when  my  letters  are 
posted.  I  have  made  a  new  reckoning  of  time. 
I  made  out  that  we  can  be  at  Vladivostok  in  a 
month  and  a  half  after  leaving  here,  if  there  are 
no  delays  on  the  way.  That  means  that,  if  nothing 
happens,  and  the  fleet  leaves  here  soon,  we  shall 
see  each  other  at  the  beginning  of  May. 

March  2nd. — The  Regina  is  near.  She  has 
entered  the  harbour  and  will  soon  anchor.  Possibly 
we  shall  weigh  anchor  to-morrow  and  go  eastward. 
Do  not  be  anxious  that  there  will  be  no  letters 
from  me  for  a  long  time.  Under  favourable  con- 
ditions the  voyage  to  the  East  Indian  Archipelago 
takes  three  weeks.  The  Regina  has  brought  part 
of  the  post.  The  other  part,  for  some  reason,  was 
left  at  Port  Said. 

A  signal  has  been  made  for  us  to  have  steam 
ready  by  twelve  noon,  on  March  3rd. 

I  think  we  shall  go  from  Nosi  Be  to  Saigon.  The 
voyage  will  be  long  and  wearisome,  whatever  the 
weather  may  be. 

There  is  such  hellish  heat  in  my  cabin  that  I  am 
now  sitting  writing  in  the  after-cabin.  People  are 
scribbling  in  every  corner.  I  can  imagine  what  it 
will  be  at  the  post-office  to-morrow.     We  do  not 


1 82  EVENTS  AT   NOSI   BE 

weigh  anchor  before  noon.  Before  then  it  will  be 
necessary  to  post  the  letters  from  all  the  ships  of 
the  fleet,  and  there  are  more  than  forty  of  them. 
I  have  finished  all  my  necessary  work  in  the  ships 
in  time. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

ACROSS   THE    INDIAN    OCEAN 

March  3rd. — Leaving  Nosi  Be ;  in  the  Indian 
Ocean. 

To-day  was  full  of  events.  This  morning  I  went 
on  shore  to  send  my  letters  and  help  dispatch  others. 
There  was  a  large  crowd  at  the  post-office.  All  were 
hurrying  to  get  rid  of  their  letters  by  eleven,  when 
there  is  a  cessation  of  work  there  until  two  o'clock. 
At  noon  the  order  was  given  to  be  ready  to  get  up 
anchor.  Many  people  did  not  succeed  in  posting 
valuable  packets,  parcels,  and  registered  letters. 
The  latter  they  threw  straight  into  the  letter-box, 
which  was  instantly  filled,  and  had  constantly  to 
be  emptied. 

I  was  not  looking,  and  the  officer  who  was 
with  me  took  my  registered  letters  and  put  them 
in  the  box.  I  was  at  that  moment  putting  on 
stamps  for  transmission  abroad.  I  was  annoyed. 
I  went  round  the  post-office  into  the  back   yard, 

183 


1 84  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

and  through  a  window  to  a  room  where  they  were 
receiving  the  letters.  I  induced  a  Malagassy  to 
take  all  the  letters  out  of  the  box  and  look  for  mine, 
which  among  the  general  heap  came  into  my  hands. 
I  gave  all  the  letters  to  a  clerk,  begging  him  to  send 
them  to  Russia  registered.  I  had  no  time  to  wait 
for  a  receipt.  I  had  to  hurry  on  board.  I  had  the 
advantage  of  being  known  to  the  clerks — firstly 
because  I  had  often  had  business  with  them,  and 
secondly  because  I  promised  them  medals  and 
orders.  Representations  about  this  are  already 
made.  At  the  post-office  they  asked  me  questions 
like  this  :  "  Are  you  leaving  to-day  or  to-monow  ? 
Are  you  going  straight  to  Russia  from  here  ?  "  By 
eleven  o'clock  I  was  on  board. 

It  was  hard  to  imagine  what  was  going  on  this 
morning  on  the  quay.  Everything  was  quite 
covered  by  goods  and  provisions.  Carts  with 
bullocks  harnessed  to  them  constantly  brought 
loads.  All  were  hastening  with  packages  to  the 
boats.  They  were  hurriedly  closing  accounts  with 
the  shore. 

Lunch  passed  off  quietly,  but  then  came  my 
benefit.  Forgive  me  ;  I  will  tell  you  the  rest  to- 
morrow. I  am  so  tired  I  can  scarcely  sit.  I 
slept  badly  last  night,  and  do  not  feel  well.      My 


CONFUSION   ON   THE  "KAMCHATKA"  185 

servant  even  said,  "  Look  here,  your  worship,  sleep 
and  rest.  You  have  slept  very  little  while  at  the 
anchorage,  and  worked  hard."  That  is  true.  There 
has  been  plenty  of  work.  I  shall  rest  now,  if  nothing 
happens  to  the  ships,  which  God  forbid.  Here  we 
are,  again  on  our  way.  The  place  where  we  are 
going  is  still  kept  secret. 

March  /\th. — I  must  finish  my  story  of  yesterday. 
Soon  after  lunch  news  was  received  from  the  Kam- 
chatka that  her  condenser  did  not  work.  She  also 
reported  that  a  Kingston  valve  had  been  torn  out, 
that  she  was  beginning  to  fill  with  water,  and  that 
they  were  putting  a  mat  under.  I  thought  they 
would  send  me  to  the  Kamchatka  and  keep  me  there 
foi  the  whole  voyage.  I  was  sent  for  by  the  admiral. 
I  went  to  the  Kamchatka,  and  found  horror  and 
confusion  reigning  there.  In  the  engine-room  com- 
partment the  water  was  already  breast-high.  I 
managed  to  put  it  right  somehow.  It  happened 
that  the  Kingston  was  not  torn  out,  but  the  flap 
in  the  Kingston  pipe  was  damaged.  They  shut  the 
flap,  not  taking  precautionary  measures,  and  ejected 
it  out  of  the  pipe,  and  water  came  in  through  the 
opening  formed.  When  the  danger  passed  I  re- 
turned to  the  Suvaroff.  The  admiral  sent  me  to 
the  Kamchatka,to  remain  until  the  work  was  finished. 


1 86  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 

I  went  there  in  the  duty  steamboat.  I  sent  it  back 
and  returned  in  a  rowing-boat  to  the  Suvaroff,  where 
another  surprise  awaited  me.  They  were  unable  to 
hoist  the  steamboat  in  the  Aurora.  The  davits  were 
damaged. 

I  hastened  there.  In  all  the  other  ships  the 
boats  were  already  hoisted.  I  set  out  for  the 
Aurora  in  the  admiral's  light  whaler,  which  is  usually 
hoisted  at  the  last  moment.  Every  moment  was 
valuable.  We  had  to  hurry.  The  men  pulled  with 
all  their  might.  At  all  costs  the  Aurora's  steam- 
boat had  to  be  hoisted,  otherwise  it  would  have 
had  to  be  left  behind.  The  work  was  strenuous. 
They  hammered,  filed,  and  bound,  rove  the  falls, 
and  the  boat  was  eventually  hoisted.  I  was  annoyed 
at  having  dirtied  myself. 

You  may  imagine  the  need  there  was  to  hurry. 
All  this  business  began  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  it 
was  necessary  that  the  fleet  should  weigh  anchor  at 
three  o'clock.  Weigh  anchor  !  and  the  Kamchatka 
sinking  and  a  steam-boat  not  able  to  be  hoisted  ! 
Besides  this,  there  was  a  report  from  the  Kamchatka 
in  the  morning  that  there  was  a  breakage  in  her 
steering  arrangements.  I  took  it  on  myself  to  say 
that  she  could  go  with  such  damages.  Neverthe- 
less, I  was  able  to  put    everything  to    rights  by 


STARTING  OF  THE  FLEET  1 87 

half-past  two.  I  breathed  freely.  The  signal  was 
hoisted,  and  we  began  to  get  up  anchor. 

The  starting  of  the  fleet  was  a  pretty  sight. 
There  were  forty-two  ships,  if  you  count  torpedo- 
boats  and  transports.  French  torpedo-boats  came 
to  escort  the  fleet.  They  wished  us  a  prosperous 
voyage,  and  cheered.  Our  bands  played  the 
Marseillaise.  Excitement  reigns  in  the  wardroom. 
Will  it  be  for  long  ?  Am  I  pleased  ?  I  cannot 
understand  my  own  feelings.  On  one  hand  I 
am  anxious  about  the  fate  of  the  fleet ;  on  the 
other,  there  is  the  possibility  of  seeing  you  soon, 
and  the  feeble,  feeble  hope  of  beating  the  Japanese 
fleet.  If  by  any  chance  that  should  happen,  Russia 
will  have  command  of  the  sea,  and  the  battle-scenes 
on  land  will  be  changed  in  our  favour.  If  we  are 
beaten — then  Japan  is  strong,  very  strong. 

You  know  the  steamer  Regina  came  to  us.  At 
the  instance  of  Japan  part  of  the  provisions  and 
supplies  were  unloaded  from  her  at  Port  Said.  How 
pleased  you  will  be  at  this  !  It  means  that  if  Japan 
had  wished  it,  the  Regina  would  not  have  come  here 
at  all.  We  only  receive  what  Japan  permits.  See 
what  strength  this  small  country  exhibits  !  It  is 
all  thanks  to  her  success  in  the  war. 

Just     imagine    the     astonishment     of     Admiral 


1 88  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

Nebogatoff 's  fleet  when  they  learn  that  we  have  gone 
on  without  waiting  for  them.  In  my  opinion  it  is  a 
rash  step  to  divide  your  forces.  It  would  not  have 
taken  much  longer  waiting  for  that  fleet,  as  we  have 
already  waited  two  and  a  half  months  at  Madagascar. 

A  flag-officer  of  our  staff  has  received  some  secret 
appointment.  He  remained  at  Nosi  Be,  and  was 
advanced  two  and  a  half  months'  pay. 

When  Lieutenant  Radekin  was  at  Diego  Suarez 
the  French  told  him  the  date  of  our  departure  from 
Nosi  Be  and  of  our  further  course.  That  was  on 
February  24th.  Radekin  wrote  down  the  predic- 
tion, sealed  it,  and  gave  it  to  me  to  be  opened  at 
sea.  Just  fancy,  the  date  of  our  departure  was 
given  exactly  !  The  course  I  cannot  verify,  as  I  do 
not  know  it  myself. 

Yesterday,  when  it  grew  dark,  the  ships  lit  their 
lights.  The  sky  was  brilliant  with  flashing  stars. 
Forty-five  ships  !  What  a  grand  armada  !  How 
difficult  it  is  to  direct  its  movements,  and  what  an 
enormous  extent  it  occupies  !  The  admiral  only  left 
the  bridge  at  nine  o'clock.  We  were  then  exceed- 
ingly hungry,  and  sat  down  to  dinner.  Last  evening 
delays  began  immediately.  The  battleship  Orel 
reported  that  some  of  her  machinery  was  broken. 
The  fleet  lessened  speed,  and  the  Orel  steamed  with 


I  LAY  DOWN   TO  REST  1 89 

one  engine.  Something  then  went  wrong  with  the 
Anadir's  machinery.  We  waited  a  whole  hour  while 
she  put  it  right.  To-day  all  are  going  successfully. 
I  have  noticed  that  for  some  reason  the  tale  of 
damages  usually  begins  at  night. 

To-day  it  is  gloomy.  The  sun  is  not  visible. 
The  sea  is  rather  rough.  God  forbid  that  we  should 
have  bad  weather,  especially  during  the  first  nine 
days.  All  the  ships  are  heavily  encumbered  with 
coal.  There  is  not  a  spot  on  deck  free  of  coal. 
This  has  a  bad  effect  on  the  sea-going  qualities  of 
ships. 

I  lay  down  to  rest,  but  could  not  sleep  owing  to 
the  heat.  I  forget  if  I  told  you  I  sleep  completely 
uncovered,  and  keep  a  small  piece  of  cardboard  by 
me  and  use  it  as  a  fan.  Some  one  has  made  a  bag 
out  of  two  nets,  and  is  catching  fish  from  the  stern 
gallery.  The  weather  is  calm,  and  a  great  many 
fish  swim  after  the  ship. 

Nearly  alongside  the  Suvaroff  is  the  torpedo-boat 
Biedovy.1  Life  in  the  torpedo-boat  is  passed  on 
deck.  From  the  ship  we  can  see  how  they  dine  and 
all  that  is  going  on. 

Yesterday  a  sailor  from  the  Kieff  flung  himself 

1  This  is  the  torpedo-boat  which  took  the  admiral  and 
his  staff  when  the  Suvaroff  sank  in  the  battle  of  Tsushima. 


igo  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

into  the  sea  and  was  drowned.  What  was  his 
mental  condition  ?  Was  he  afraid  that  he  would 
be  killed.  How  strange  it  is  !  But  I  have  heard 
that  there  are  instances  when  men,  fearing  to 
be  killed  in  action,  put  an  end  to  themselves. 
Probably  the  fear  of  death  acts  so  strongly 
on  these  men  that  they  are  not  themselves.  An 
hour  ago  a  sailor  in  a  fever  threw  himself  overboard 
from  the  Jemchug.  They  lowered  two  whalers  and 
a  gig  to  pick  him  up,  and  threw  him  a  life-belt ;  but 
he  fortunately  swam  to  the  hospital-ship  Orel  and 
climbed  on  board.     Now  he  is  remaining  in  her. 

March  5th  (morning). — Last  evening  something 
went  wrong  with  the  machinery  of  the  transport 
Vladimir.  We  waited  while  it  was  repaired.  On 
the  whole  we  are  going  very  slowly.  This  morning 
all  the  torpedo-boats  but  one  (the  duty  boat)  were 
taken  in  tow.  This  was  in  order  that  they  should 
not  expend  coal,  which  is  very  difficult  to  supply  in 
mid-ocean  even  when  it  is  comparatively  calm. 
In  slightly  rough  weather  it  is  useless  even  to  think 
of  coaling. 

Last  evening  a  German  steamer  from  Diego 
Suarez,  as  she  explained  on  being  asked,  over- 
took and  passed  us.  This  is  rather  suspicious. 
Why  must  she  go  on  the  same  course  as  we  are 


GOING  SLOWLY  AHEAD  191 

going  ?  The  route  for  the  fleet  was  purposely 
chosen,  being  one  along  which  no  one  ever  goes. 
Yesterday  the  Navarin  fired  to  try  the  carriage  of 
newly  placed  guns.  The  sound  of  the  firing  reached 
the  Suvaroff.  This,  I  thought,  is  how  I  shall  hear 
the  firing  when  we  meet  the  Japanese.  The  sounds 
are  not  very  loud.  Our  shots,  no  doubt,  will  make 
more  noise. 

Slowly,  very  slowly,  we  are  going  ahead.  Now 
and  then  the  fleet  stops,  and  goes  on  again  with  a 
speed  of  five  to  eight  knots.  There  are  varieties 
of  mishaps,  breakages  in  the  Sissoi,  and  in  the 
torpedo-boats  Grosny  and  Gromky.  The  slightest 
damage  delays  all.  Do  you  know  to  what  distance 
our  ships  extend,  going  in  several  divisions  ?  Nearly 
ten  versts.  If  we  go  on  at  the  same  speed  we  shall 
expend  a  great  deal  of  time  before  reaching  any  port. 
We  are  going  north-east,  and  are  again  approaching 
the  equator. 

The  ship  scouting  reported  that  she  saw  a  light 
far  away.  Perhaps  a  "  chance  "  vessel,  like  the  one 
yesterday.  In  a  good  cruiser  the  Japanese  might 
watch  every  step  of  our  fleet  without  being  per- 
ceived by  us.  We  are  steaming  with  lights.  What 
is  to  prevent  a  fast  cruiser,  without  lights,  from 
approaching    us,    ascertaining    our    position,    and 


192  ACROSS  THE   INDIAN   OCEAN 

disappearing — and  no  one  will  ever  suspect  such 
observation.  If  the  Japanese  do  not  do  that  now, 
it  is  almost  certain  that  they  will  watch  our  fleet 
when  approaching  the  islands  of  the  East  Indian 
archipelago,  in  order  that,  having  chosen  a  favour- 
able time,  they  may  attack,  if  not  the  warships,  at 
all  events  the  transports.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
defend  the  latter. 

What  is  NebogatofFs  fleet  doing  now  ?  Will  they 
really  continue  their  voyage  to  the  East  ?  It  will 
be  a  great  risk. 

March  6th  (morning). — In  the  night  we  remained 
three  hours  at  one  spot.  Something  was  amiss 
with  the  steering  engine  of  the  Borodino.  She  has 
not  yet  put  it  right,  and  so  is  going  on  the  flanks  of 
the  rest. 

A  steamer  is  coming  towards  us. 

The  light  which  the  scouting  cruiser  saw  yesterday, 
and  which  she  took  for  a  ship,  proved  to  be  a  star. 
They  say  you  can  often  make  the  mistake,  seeing 
a  star  setting  on  the  horizon.  I  saw  one  like  it. 
Sometimes  there  is  a  completely  deceptive  appear- 
ance of  a  ship's  light.  It  is  related  that  on  one 
occasion,  during  the  last  war  with  Turkey,  a  whole 
fleet  (in  the  Black  Sea)  chased  a  star.  No  doubt 
the  mistake  was  soon  found  out. 


OXEN   AND  COWS  ON  DECK  1 93 

During  the  cruise  life  on  board  passes  very 
monotonously.  There  are  no  events  except  break- 
ages. All  are  tired  of  one  another.  They  converse 
little  and  about  nothing,  and  sit  in  different 
corners.  I  have  not  been  much  in  the  wardroom 
lately.  I  do  not  play  games  or  the  pianola.  I  sit 
mostly  in  the  deck-house,  on  the  bridge,  or  in  the 
flag-captain's  cabin. 

There  was  mass  to-day.  The  weather  has  become 
a  little  rougher.  We  are  going  desperately  slowly, 
so  shall  not  reach  a  port  soon.  We  have  to  cross 
a  whole  ocean.  Another  pleasure  is  in  store  for  the 
fleet — coaling  in  the  open  sea. 

Night. — The  whole  port  side  of  the  spar-deck  is 
occupied  by  oxen  and  cows.  The  oxen  for  meat 
and  the  cows  for  milk,  only  unfortunately  the  latter 
do  not  give  any.  There  are  two  calves.  It  is 
decided  to  feed  them.  They  will  probably  die.  In 
the  transports  special  stalls  have  been  made  for  the 
animals,  so  that  they  can  endure  the  motion.  There 
are  none  of  these  stalls  in  the  battleships,  and  the 
oxen  have  to  stand  on  deck. 

March  yth  (morning). — Our  voyage  is  continued 
to  the  Chagos  Islands,  past  the  chief  island,  Diego 
Garcia.  There  were  rumours  that  Japanese  ships 
were  lying  at  the  Chagos  archipelago,  which  belongs 

13 


194  ACROSS  THE   INDIAN   OCEAN 

to  England.  The  rumour  may  be  true.  Perhaps 
there  will  be  a  collision  near  these  islands.  The 
Chagos  archipelago  consists  of  small,  thinly  popu- 
lated islands.  There  is  no  telegraph  cable  joining 
it  to  the  mainland. 

There  is  an  artificer  in  the  Suvaroff  called  Krim- 
mer.  He  is  a  very  trustworthy  man.  I  once 
offered  to  exchange  letters  in  the  event  of  the 
death  of  one  of  us.  To-day  he  handed  me  an 
envelope  with  the  following  superscription  :  "In 
the  event  of  my  death  I  beg  you  to  send  the  enclosed 
letter  to  its  address,  and  also  to  dispatch  the  things 
I  leave  behind.  G.  Krimmer,  2/3/1905.  In  the 
Kniaz  Suvaroff."  I  have  not  prepared  my  letter  yet. 
And  what  can  I  say  in  it  ?  I  have  no  secrets  from 
you.  You  know  everything  and  what  I  might  say 
to  you  in  my  last  moments. 

The  route  we  are  following  now  is  little  frequented 
by  ships.  Never  since  the  creation  of  the  world 
have  battleships,  small  cruisers,  torpedo-boats,  or 
a  fleet  at  all  similar  to  ours  gone  along  this  route. 
What  sort  of  ship  is  there  not  with  us  ?  Battleships, 
cruisers,  torpedo-boats,  transports,  a  repair  ship, 
hospital-ship,  a  water-carrier,  and  a  tug. 

Again  the  fleet  has  stopped.  The  tow-rope  of 
one  of  the  torpedo-boats  has  broken.     We  are  going 


COALING  AT  SEA  195 

slowly.  To-day  at  noon  we  have  done  675  miles,  in 
all  about  1,180  versts,  and  we  have  to  do  7,000 
versts  in  order  to  reach  the  East  Indian  archipelago. 
At  4  a.m.  to-morrow  all  warships  are  to  coal  from 
the  transports  which  are  with  us. 

March  8th. — I  have  been  unable  to  write  since 
this  morning.  In  the  first  place,  I  was  going  from 
ship  to  ship  ;  then  there  was  such  an  infernal  heat 
in  my  cabin  that  it  was  useless  to  think  of  writing. 
It  is  a  little  fresher  now,  270  R.  In  the  night 
the  tiller  rope  carried  away  in  the  Suvaroff;  the 
confusion  was  considerable,  but  I  escaped  it. 

I  was  called  early  this  morning,  at  seven  o'clock. 
All  the  fleet  had  stopped  and  begun  to  take  coal 
from  the  boats,  which  were  loaded  from  the  trans- 
ports. At  first  the  weather  was  calm,  although 
there  was  a  fairly  large  swell.  The  Aurora's  steam- 
boat disturbed  me.  They  had  hoisted  it  in,  but 
I  had  not  seen  how  they  secured  it.  I  wanted  to 
see  it  myself.  The  Roland  went  about  with  various 
orders  for  ships  that  were  far  from  the  Suvaroff. 
I  decided  to  go  in  her  to  the  Aurora. 

I  went  in  the  admiral's  whaler  and  began  to 
curse  myself.  Getting  out  of  the  whaler  was  very 
dangerous  and  difficult.  The  Roland  had  to  de- 
liver  packets   with   orders   to   ten   ships,    and   by 


196  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

eleven  o'clock  she  had  just  been  to  six.  The  ships 
lay  far  off,  and  much  time  was  spent  in  sending 
boats  with  the  packets.  At  twelve  o'clock  I 
returned  to  the  Suvaroff  from  the  Roland  in  the 
whaler  again.  Could  you  have  believed  that  I 
should  ever  be  pulled  across  the  ocean  in  a  tiny 
cockleshell  ? 

The  swell  is  an  extraordinary  thing.  It  looks 
quite  calm  from  a  ship,  but  in  reality  it  is  far  from 
being  so.     I  drank  a  cup  of  coffee  in  the  Roland. 

At  first  she  rolled  lightly,  but  afterwards  to  such 
an  extent  that  the  plates  fell  from  the  table.  When 
we  came  near  the  different  ships  they  looked  at  us 
with  curiosity,  expected  something,  and  asked  the 
news,  as  if  we  were  not  in  the  same  fleet.  They  were 
given  the  packets,  and  their  disappointment  was 
fearful.  I  was  late  for  lunch  and  ate  in  my  cabin. 
When  I  entered  it  from  the  fresh  air,  it  seemed  like 
a  stove.  The  heat  was  intolerable.  I  drank  water 
with  ice  in  it.  A  piece  was  left.  With  the  greatest 
delight  I  rubbed  my  head  and  neck  with  it.  I 
often  do  this  now.     The  ice  melts  instantly. 

I  went  to  the  after-cabin  ;  landed  myself  there  on 
a  sofa  to  dose  a  little,  but  it  was  not  to  be.  I  had 
begun  to  sleep  when  an  orderly  came  and  said  the 
admiral  required  me.   The  torpedo-boat  Buistry  had 


LOOK-OUT   MEN   IN    BARRELS  197 

dented  her  side  slightly,  broken  a  boat,  etc.  When 
I  had  finished  with  her  I  again  went  to  the  sofa  in 
the  after-cabin. 

The  coaling  will  soon  be  stopped.  The  ships 
are  moving  their  engines,  and  we  shall  proceed  ! 
It  will  be  difficult  in  the  swell  to  hoist  steam  and 
other  boats  on  board.  The  weather  was  in- 
different ;  but  contrary  to  expectation,  the  coaling 
was  fairly  successful.  Perhaps  they  will  begin  it 
again  to-morrow  morning.  The  fleet  does  not 
anchor,  but  only  lies  with  engines  stopped.  The 
wind  and  sea  continually  bring  ships  towards  each 
other.  Up  to  now,  thank  God  !  everything  was 
all  right,  with  the  exception  of  the  Buistry.  She 
ought  not  to  have  been  brought.  She  broke  up  at 
Revel,  knocked  her  side  in  at  the  Skaw,  and  now 
she  has  collided  with  a  transport.  We  went  on 
again  twenty  minutes  ago.  Dinner  was  late  again. 
I  have  not  been  invited  to  the  dining-room. 

A  curious  impression  is  produced  by  the  boxes 
or  barrels  fastened  to  the  masts  of  the  cruisers  for 
the  look-out  men.  Some  of  the  cruisers  have 
fastened  cages,  like  boxes,  and  others  have  simply 
suspended  barrels.  In  these  boxes  and  barrels 
signalmen  stand  and  watch  the  horizon. 

They   are   hung   up   very  high.     Without   them 


198  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

sailors  might  easily  fall  from  the  mast.  Only  the 
heads  and  shoulders  of  the  signalmen  are  visible 
now.  A  monotonous  journey  again  stretches  before 
us.  Do  you  know  how  the  officers  in  the  ward- 
room amuse  themselves  all  the  evening  ?  They 
make  the  dog  listen  to  the  gramaphone.  Several 
pieces  did  not  please  her,  and  she  began  to  howl. 
This  employment  seemed  very  funny  to  many. 
The  gramaphone  was  purposely  placed  on  deck,  and 
the  trumpet  directed  straight  at  the  dog. 

Nights  of  alarm  have  again  begun.  They  sus- 
pect the  near  presence  of  Japanese  cruisers,  which 
have  a  base  in  the  English  Seychelles  Islands, 
by  which  we  are  now  passing. 

At  the  wireless  telegraph  office  they  are  receiving 
strange  dispatches.  There  are  more  grounds  for 
caution  now  than  there  ever  were  before.  No 
doubt  as  the  fleet  moves  forward  the  chances  of 
a  meeting  with  the  enemy  increase.  All  day  I  felt 
fairly  well,  but  towards  the  evening  a  strange 
depression  came  over  me.  Anxiety  wrings  my 
heart.  I  have  lost  all  interest  in  everything.  They 
say  that  the  Japanese  are  near.  What  then  ?  It 
is  all  the  same  to  me. 

I  often  pass  through  bad  moments.  One 
grieves,  rages,    censures,   criticises,  and  condemns 


SHALL   WE   SUCCEED?  I 99 

everything.  Our  army  is  acting  independently,  and 
the  fleet  does  not  combine  with  the  movements 
of  the  army.  The  self-same  fleet  is  split  into 
little  pieces,  which  do  not  act  in  conformity  with 
the  movements  of  the  others.  Three  (or  now, 
perhaps,  two)  ships  are  doing  something,  or 
more  probably  are  lying  at  Vladivostok.  Our 
fleet  is  moving  east,  and  the  third  remains  behind 
somewhere  (where  we  do  not  know)  ;  and  they  are 
collecting  some  remnants  at  Cronstadt  and  Libau. 
All  these  parts  do  not  know  what  the  others  are 
doing.  Can  there  be  success  under  these  conditions  ? 
I  think  that  there  are  many  disorders  in  the  army. 
There  is  no  method  or  organisation  anywhere. 
Among  our  enemies  all  is  worked  out,  foreseen,  and 
guessed  beforehand.  They  conduct  war  on  a 
scientific  programme.  Is  success  likely  to  be  on 
our  side  ?     No. 

Of  course,  anything  might  happen.  We  might 
win,  but  it  would  only  be  by  chance.  With 
us  it  is  the  old  system  called  "  Perhaps,"  and 
the  old  game  of  trusting  to  luck.  Everything  is 
done  anyhow.  Not  without  reason  some  one 
remarked  that  the  "  apes  were  fighting  the  any- 
hows."  To  do  him  justice,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
say  a  worse  or  a  truer  thing. 


200  ACROSS   THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

The  Oleg  is  steaming  astern,  and  other  cruisers 
are  ahead  and  abeam  of  the  fleet.  All  the  battle- 
ships, torpedo-boats,  and  transports  occupy  the 
centre. 

March  gth  (8  a.m.). — Six  times  to-day  the  tow- 
ropes  of  torpedo-boats  have  carried  away.  This 
is  rather  often.  The  Dimitry  Donskoi  reports  that 
at  night  she  saw  lights  of  three  ships,  which  were 
communicating  with  searchlight  flashes,  and  were 
going  the  same  course  as  ourselves. 

Another  sailor  has  died  in  the  Oslyabya.  He 
will  be  buried  at  sea.  He  died  the  day  before 
yesterday,  but  the  coaling  prevented  his  body 
being  committed  to  the  deep  yesterday.  There 
are  frequent  deaths  in  the  Oslyabya,  and  most  of 
them  occur  when  the  fleet  is  under  way. 

The  admiral  always  had  weak  nerves,  and  now 
especially  so.  He  sleeps  very  little,  is  worried, 
and  gets  beside  himself  at  every  trifle.  Probably 
he  will  not  hold  out  to  the  end. 

ii  p.m. — We  are  going  desperately  slowly.  So 
far  we  have  made  a  thousand  miles.  If  we  go 
by  one  course  there  will  be  2,800  miles  left,  and  by 
another  2,500.  This  means  we  have  to  toss  on  the 
sea  for  fifteen  or  twenty  days,  if  nothing  happens. 

At  every  step  there  are  breakages  and  damages. 


GUARDING  DIVERS   FROM   SHARKS  201 

This  evening  the  Sissoi  damaged  first  her  rudder 
and  then  her  machinery.  The  tow-ropes  of  the 
torpedo-boats  break  like  threads.  The  Buistry  has 
again  distinguished  herself.  She  has  broken  a 
gun-platform.  Soon  there  will  be  nothing  to  break 
in  her. 

In  the  wardroom  they  reckon  that  we  have 
4,400  miles  to  do  in  thirty-four  days.  Our  pro- 
visions are  finished,  and  we  shall  have  to  take  to 
salt  provisions  (horrid  filth).  They  make  jokes, 
selecting  which  of  the  officers  shall  be  eaten  first. 

To-morrow  it  is  proposed  to  coal.  It  will  be 
difficult  to  do  so  if  the  swell  is  as  great  as  it  was 
to-day.  Again  we  shall  lose  a  whole  day.  Coaling 
in  our  present  condition  is  a  very  important  thing, 
though  troublesome.  The  whole  deck  is  encum- 
bered with  coal,  and  even  part  of  the  guns. 

March  10th. — At  nine  the  torpedo-boat  Gromky 
reported  that  her  rudder  was  damaged.  The 
divers  had  to  work  under  water,  and  there  were 
many  sharks.  While  they  were  at  work  men  with 
loaded  rifles  stood  ready  to  defend  them.  They 
were  clearly  visible,  as  the  water  is  very  trans- 
parent. 

9  p.m. — From  a  chance  word  I  gathered  that  in 
fifteen  days  we  shall  be  at  some  port.     I  doubt  it. 


202  ACROSS   THE   INDIAN   OCEAN 

By  my  reckoning  we  shall  toss  at  sea  much  longer. 
Slowly,  very  slowly,  we  go  on.  Stoppages  are 
constant.  I  am  so  accustomed  to  them  that  I 
take  very  little  interest  in  knowing  the  reason, 
and  am  too  lazy  to  go  on  deck  and  find  out. 

March  nth. — The  Svietlana  reports  that  she  sees 
a  steamer  ahead  on  the  same  course  as  ourselves. 
It  is  strange  that  we  are  going  slowly  along  an  un- 
frequented route  and  yet  we  can  catch  up  a  steamer. 
Even  freight-steamers  do  not  go  as  slowly  as  our 
ships. 

March  12th. — The  Oleg  and  Donskoi  report  that 
they  see  some  lights  far  away.  They  are  watching 
them.  Perhaps  they  are  English  cruisers.  The 
steamer  which  the  Svietlana  saw  was  apparently  a 
myth.  A  boiler  in  the  Kamchatka  is  damaged,  but 
she  does  not  remain  behind.  She  began  to  drop, 
but  when  she  knew  about  the  suspicious  light  she 
prepared  to  come  on.  We  are  approaching  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  East. 

We  shall  soon  recross  the  equator.  Vladivostok 
seems  like  the  promised  land.  Yes  ;  Vladivostok, 
Vladivostok  ! 

But  what  if  my  supposition  about  Sagalien  and 
Vladivostok  are  justified  ?  Where  will  our  fleet 
go  then,  and  what  will  it  do  ?     The  next  time  we 


LIGHTS   AHEAD  !  203 

stop  to  coal  I  shall  have  to  pass  the  whole  day  on 
board  the  Gromky. 

They  have  stopped  breaking  the  tow-ropes  in  the 
torpedo-boats.  At  all  events,  they  have  not  broken 
one  for  some  time. 

The  Sissoi  is  keeping  back  the  fleet.  There  is 
always  something  wrong  with  her.  This  morning  the 
Nachimoff  joined  her.  The  Oleg  reports  that  the 
lights  she  saw  yesterday  were  not  constant.  They 
looked  like  sparks  flying  out  of  funnels.  Perhaps 
our  fleet  is  following  in  the  wake  of  some  other 
ships.  By  day  they  hide  themselves  beyond  the 
horizon,  so  we  do  not  see  them  ;  and  by  night  they 
approach  us,  having  all  lights  out.  The  sparks 
betray  their  presence.  At  night,  when  there  is 
no  moon,  it  is  absolutely  dark  and  very  difficult 
to  see. 

Our  fleet  is  steaming  with  lights  visible  from 
afar  ;  therefore  it  is  easy  for  ships  knowing  our 
course  to  find  the  fleet  in  the  ocean  and  to  approach 
it  without  danger.  We  may  expect  any  moment 
to  be  attacked  at  night.  I  cannot  without  horror 
imagine  one  thing — that  is,  that  they  will  compel 
us  to  lie  an  endless  number  of  days  in  some 
Saigon. 

Then  what  will  happen  ?     I  calm  myself  with  the 


204  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

thought  that  they  will  not  allow  this,  observing 
neutrality. 

Neutrality  is  a  fine  word.  It  is  good  and  con- 
venient only  for  the  strong.  Strength  is  now  on 
Japan's  side,  and  neutrality  serves  her  interests 
and  is  useful  to  her. 

They  say  that  the  admiral  declared  that  if  he 
met  a  Japanese  ship  in  neutral  waters  he  would 
destroy  her,  remembering  the  capture  of  the  Reshi- 
telny  (Decisive)  by  the  Japanese.  There  is  neutrality 
for  you  !  I  did  not  myself  hear  Rojdestvensky  say 
this — but  knowing  his  character,  think  him  quite 
capable  of  it.  However,  this  will  not  happen.  The 
Japanese  are  wily.  They  will  not  separate  their 
ships,  as  Russia  has  done.  God  forbid  that  Japan 
beats  our  fleet !  The  might  of  Russia  will  perish 
with  it  for  ten  years.  The  fleet  will  not  be  re- 
constructed for  long.  But  if  we  beat  the  Japanese 
at  sea  and  get  command  of  it,  then  Japan  is  ruined. 
She  will  be  unable  to  carry  on  war,  and  will  not  be 
able  to  feed  and  provide  the  army. 

In  Japan  itself  there  will  be  nothing  to  eat.  It 
can  scarcely  happen  so.  Even  if  the  mastery  of  the 
sea  remains  with  us,  England  and  America  will 
defend  Japan,  and  Russia  will  retire,  fearing  war 
with  these  two  countries.     The  war  is  bound  to 


WE  WALLOW  IN   SHAME  !  205 

end  to  Russia's  disadvantage.  How  much  money 
she  has  wasted  !  How  many  men  have  perished  ! — 
and  for  what  ? 

Shame  !  Shame  !  We  wallow  in  shame  !  How 
we  jeered  at  the  English  during  their  war  with  the 
Boers,  at  the  Italians  during  their  Abyssinian  cam- 
paign !  I  do  not  know  what  is  going  on  in  Manchuria, 
but  judging  by  the  time  that  passed  between  the 
battles  of  Liao-Yang  and  Mukden  the  next  great 
fight  will  take  place  in  August  or  September, — in  the 
event  of  the  Japanese  not  moving  beyond  Mukden 
and  acting  as  they  have  hitherto  done — that  is,  very 
carefully. 

By  August  or  September  Russia  might  collect 
an  army. 

Where  is  now  the  supply  depot  of  our  land  forces  ? 
In  Harbin  ?  It  may  be  that  they  will  have  to  leave 
it  and  retire  again.  Yesterday  I  heard  a  quarrel 
among  the  sub-lieutenants  about  how  many  stoke- 
holds there  were  in  the  Suvaroff,  and  how  the  boilers 
were  placed.  Officers  who  had  been  in  the  ship  a 
year,  and  who  had,  by  order  of  the  admiral,  kept 
watch  in  the  stoke-hold,  were  quarrelling  over  these 
things.  How  sad  it  was,  and  yet  I  could  not  listen 
to  them  without  laughing  !  The  Japanese  doubtless 
know  our  ships  better  than  we  do  ourselves.     Do 


206  ACROSS  THE   INDIAN   OCEAN 

you  remember  what  I  said  before  the  departure  of 
the  fleet  ?  From  the  very  beginning  of  the  voyage 
I  have  seen  so  many  instances  confirming  my  former 
opinions.  I  do  not  believe  in  the  fleet,  however 
many  ships  are  in  it,  and  however  much  they  count 
on  them.  It  is  a  small  matter  to  possess  warships. 
It  is  necessary  to  profit  by  their  strength.  Possibly 
the  Japanese  fleet  might  be  beaten,  but  it  would  only 
be  by  chance. 

March  13th. — To-day  is  Sunday.  There  will  be 
mass.  I  must  go  to  church — the  service  is  just 
beginning.     I  have  not  been  at  all  well. 

I  slept  a  great  deal  to-day,  and  was  punished  for 
it.  I  slept  in  my  bunk,  leaving  my  port  open. 
There  was  a  fairly  heavy  sea.  The  water  splashed 
in  and  poured  over  my  feet.  I  took  off  my  boots 
and  went  to  sleep  again  in  wet  clothes.  I  woke 
from  a  second  douche.  A  third  time  I  was  splashed 
over.  I  rose,  and  began  to  change  my  socks  and 
boots.  I  sat  at  the  writing-table.  Another  wave 
poured  in,  and  literally  wetted  me  from  head  to 
foot. 

Everything  on  the  table  was  drenched.  I  had 
to  shut  the  port.  Now  it  is  so  stuffy  in  my  cabin 
and  the  air  is  so  steamy  that  I  cannot  breathe.  I 
am   writing   in   the   deck   cabin.     The   weather   is 


A  FAVOURABLE  CURRENT  20"J 

getting  more  and  more  rough.  Perhaps  it  is  for  the 
best — it  will  be  more  difficult  for  the  enemy  to 
attack  us. 

By  the  morning  we  should  be  at  Diego  Garcia 
(one  of  the  islands  of  the  Chagos  Archipelago), 
where  the  presence  of  Japanese  ships  is  suspected. 
In  any  case,  I  must  be  prepared  to  go  to-morrow 
morning  to  the  Gromky,  although  the  weather  is 
such  that  it  will  be  difficult  to  coal.  We  are  going 
slowly.  It  is  a  good  thing  that  a  favourable  current 
is  helping  us  on.  During  the  last  twenty-four  hours 
it  has  advanced  us  about  fifty  versts.  This  evening 
all  searchlights  weie  lit  up  until  the  moon  rose. 

March  14th  (morning). — What  a  night  it  was  ! — 
so  stuffy  and  hot  that  when  I  woke  not  only  were 
the  sheets  and  pillows  wet,  but  the  mat  as  well. 

We  had  just  done  half  the  voyage  between 
Madagascar  and  the  East  Indian  Archipelago.  We 
may  count  not  only  on  torpedo-attacks  and  ground 
mines,  but  also  on  a  fleet  action. 

Our  voyage  to  Vladivostok  will  be  very  danger- 
ous. We  have  to  pass  through  straits  and  narrow 
seas.  All  sorts  of  meetings  and  surprises  are 
possible.  They  will  follow  every  movement  of  our 
ships,  choosing  a  favourable  time  to  deliver  battle 
or  make  a  torpedo-boat   attack.     Some  one  con- 


208  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

ceived  the  fancy  that  when  the  whole  fleet  coaled 
in  the  open  sea,  and  lay  with  engines  stopped,  a 
Russian  town  had  sprung  up  in  the  middle  of  the 
ocean,  with  a  population  of  12,000  people.  If  I 
reach  Vladivostok,  a  distance  which  can  be  passed 
over  in  fourteen  or  fifteen  days  will  separate  you 
from  me.  How  microscopic  it  will  seem  in  com- 
parison with  what  we  have  already  passed !  It 
will  seem  quite  close  to  me. 

If  there  are  no  delays  anywhere,  then  by  the 
middle  of  April  the  fleet  will  reach  Vladivostok. 
But  what  is  the  use  of  guessing  and  calculating  ? — a 
thousand  things  may  yet  happen. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  in  the  East  Indian  archi- 
pelago there  are  so  many  straits  which  are  long  and 
narrow.  There  are  some  which  cannot  be  passed 
through  in  a  day,  and  have  to  be  traversed  at 
night.     They  might  be  mined. 

On  entering  or  leaving  them  when  the  fleet  is 
spread  out,  torpedo  attacks  might  be  made.  We 
may  expect  surprises  from  torpedo-boats  and  from 
the  shores.  It  is  impossible  to  pass  through  a  strait 
unperceived.  I  have  just  hit  on  the  idea  that  we 
may  possibly  go  to  Saigon.  On  the  way  to  Saigon 
a  collison  will  infallibly  take  place.  It  may  have 
sad  consequences  for  me  as  well  as  for  the  others. 


LIFE  ON    BOARD  THE   TORPEDO-BOATS        2O9 

Perhaps  I  shall  not  be  able  to  send  letters.  Let 
us  suppose  we  get  to  Saigon.  The  Diana  is  lying 
there.  She  is  officially  disarmed.  What  is  to  pre- 
vent her  joining  our  fleet  ?  Instead  of  the  Diana  a 
ship  like  the  Almez  might  be  left.  That  would  be 
excellent.  It  would  be  better  if  we  were  joined 
by  the  Cesar  evitch,  Askold,  and  torpedo-boats.  It 
is  difficult  to  count  on  this. 

All  the  ships  are  disarmed  in  neutral  ports.  It 
is  a  pity  we  have  to  pass  through  the  straits  in  dark, 
moonless  nights. 

March  15th. — I  was  called  at  5  a.m.  in  order  to 
go  on  board  the  Gromky. 

Divers  arrived  and  the  work  began.  The  work  is 
greatly  hampered  by  the  swell.  The  divers  are 
constantly  struck  by  the  rudder.  I  am  astonished 
at  the  dog's  life  they  lead  on  board  the  torpedo- 
boats.  Whilst  steaming,  the  vibration  is  so  great 
that  it  is  impossible  to  write.  They  roll  so  much 
that  nothing  remains  on  the  tables  without  fiddles 
(frames  which  support  tumblers,  plates,  etc.).  The 
accommodation  is  cramped,  and  it  is  dirty  and 
sooty. 

In  addition  to  all  this  the  fare  is  disgusting. 
I  remained  in  the  Gromky  until  eleven  o'clock.  It 
was  time  to  eat,  but  they  did  not  think  of  laying  a 

14 


2IO  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

table.  They  brought  the  crew  their  stchee,1  and 
my  appetite  left  me.  There  were  only  four  sausages 
for  the  officers.  Some  officers  from  the  Kamchatka, 
which  was  lying  close  by,  were  in  the  Gromky.  They 
requested  by  semaphore  that  preserves,  lemonade, 
etc.,  might  be  sent  from  her.  I  was  so  hungry  that 
I  did  not  hesitate  to  insist  on  their  bringing  sardines, 
ham,  bacon,  etc.  When  they  arrived  we  all  threw 
ourselves  on  these  delicacies  with  avidity.  They 
purposely  brought  more  than  sufficient,  in  order  to 
leave  the  surplus  for  the  officers  of  the  torpedo-boat. 
The  latter  astonished  me.  They  look  upon  a 
lack  of  food  as  inevitable.  The  Irtish  should  supply 
them  with  provisions,  but  she  fulfilled  the  duty 
badly. 

The  captain  asked  that  his  torpedo-boat  should 
be  attached  to  another  transport.  I  supported  the 
captain's  request  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability,  and 
depicted  in  vivid  colours  their  famished  condition. 
Life  on  board  a  torpedo-boat  is  sufficiently  penal, 
but  in  this  one  they  starve  as  well.  For  the  future 
the  Gromky  will  be  attached  to  the  Kieff. 

While  I  was  in  the  Gromky  a  heavy  squall  went 
by  on  the  beam.  It  was  lucky  it  did  not  catch  the 
torpedo-boat. 

1  Cabbage  soup. 


AN   "ICONOCLAST"  211 

Several  times  sharks  gathered  near  the  divers, 
but  they  saw  them  in  time  and  drove  them  away 
with  rifle-shots.  You  suddenly  see  a  large,  grey, 
shapeless  thing  appearing.  It  is  an  ugly  and 
repulsive-looking  shark. 

In  the  Gromky  I  saw  friend  Grishka,  "  the 
Iconoclast."  This  monkey  has  grown  a  great  deal, 
and  is  very  amusing.  I  think  I  told  you  about 
Grishka.  He  is  the  monkey  who  was  the  cause  of 
a  scandal  in  the  Suvaroff,  and  was  given  to  another 
ship.  He  received  the  nickname  of  the  "  Icono- 
clast," because  he  once  stole  an  ikon  out  of  the 
cabin  and  threw  it  overboard. 

March  16th  (evening). — Early  this  morning  I  again 
went  to  the  Gromky.  I  got  there  with  difficulty. 
The  swell  tossed  the  torpedo-boat  all  day.  Heavy 
rain-squalls  constantly  flew  by.  The  boat  rolled 
more  than  25  °.  Everything  fell  about.  To  sit  you 
had  to  press  hands  and  feet  against  something. 
How  many  times  I  was  literally  wet  to  the  skin 
to-day,  and  got  dry  again,  it  is  difficult  to  say. 
Under  these  conditions  the  divers  had  to  work. 
The  waves  now  tore  them  from  the  boat,  now  beat 
them  against  her,  now  retreating,  showing  the 
diver's  heads,  now  hiding  them  somewhere  in  the 
abyss.    They  were  rocked  about  under  the  water. 


212  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

and  were  seasick  with  all  its  consequences  when  in 
diving  clothes.  They  had  to  be  drawn  up,  as  they 
were  so  faint.  The  work  was  desperately  difficult. 
I  was  astonished  that  they  went  into  the  water 
again  without  refusing. 

Picture  to  yourself  the  scene.  All  this  was  being 
done  in  a  torpedo-boat  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean. 
The  boat  had  been  carried  away  from  the  fleet  by 
the  swell ;  we  could  even  no  longer  see  it.  The 
diving-boat  lay  alongside  the  torpedo-boat.  In 
addition  to  this  they  were  coaling  at  the  same  time. 
It  was  a  regular  hell.  The  work  went  on  very 
slowly. 

In  order  to  review  the  results  of  my  work  I  sat 
on  an  outrigger  (I  have  already  told  you  what  this 
is)  like  a  bird  on  a  twig.  When  rolling,  the  water 
now  covered  my  head,  now  lifted  me  high.  It  was 
horrible,  abominable,  foul.  It  was  a  good  thing 
there  were  no  sharks. 

At  last,  amid  the  chaos  of  waves  and  foam,  I  had 
to  go  to  the  Suvaroff  in  a  whaler.  I  seized  hold  of 
a  chain,  pressed  my  feet  against  the  side,  and 
climbed  on  deck.  I  was  wet,  dirty,  and  could 
scarcely  stand  from  fatigue.  And  what  welcome 
awaited  me  ?  A  reprimand  from  the  admiral,  with 
a  cry  of  "  Shameful !    you  serve  on  the  staff,  and 


ALONG  THE   EQUATOR  213 

cover  yourself  with  filth.  You  return  at  five  o'clock, 
instead  of  three."  This  is  my  reward !  Never, 
never  shall  I  forget  it  !  True,  it  is  my  first  repri- 
mand during  the  seven  months.  What  could  I  do  ? 
They  did  not  send  a  torpedo-boat  for  me,  as  they 
always  had  done. 

Nor  was  the  Gromky  at  fault.  She  brought 
me  as  soon  as  ever  she  could.  When  the  work 
was  done  she  had  to  take  the  divers  to  the 
Svietlana,  Kamchatka,  and  Jemchug.  I  was  only 
guilty  in  that  I  was  not  guilty  at  all.  Having 
reached  my  cabin,  I  changed  my  clothes,  and  in- 
stantly fell  into  a  dead  sleep. 

There  was  nothing  to  eat  in  the  Gromky,  and  she 
could  not  receive  anything  from  the  transport. 
They  sent  a  present  of  a  basket  of  provisions  and  a 
live  pig  from  the  Svietlana.  How  pleased  the 
officers  were  ! 

March  zyth  (morning). — Since  last  evening  we 
have  been  going  along  the  equator. 

We  are  a  little  to  the  north.  How  strange  it 
seems  at  first  !  Yesterday  we  were  in  the  southern 
half  of  the  globe,  where  it  was  autumn  ;  to-day  we 
are  in  the  northern  half,  where  it  is  spring.  We 
have  missed  a  whole  winter.  There  is  news  that 
the  Varyag  has  been  raised  by  the  Japanese. 


214  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

Possibly  they  have  already  been  able  to  repair 
her,  and  we  may  meet  her  among  the  hostile  ships. 
A  pleasant  encounter  !  Our  ships  will  fight  against 
us.     What  a  disgrace  ! 

The  Donskoi  reports  that  she  sees  occasional  lights 
out  of  funnels  on  the  horizon.  That  they  are 
following  us  is  beyond  doubt.  We  shall  go  by 
the  straits  of  Malacca,  the  length  of  which  is  about 
1,000  versts.  There  will  be  surprises  on  going 
through  it,  and  on  leaving  it  we  may  count  on 
meeting  the  whole  of  Togo's  fleet.  Probably  among 
the  Japanese  ships  will  be  those  the  Russians  were 
unable  to  sink  properly  at  Port  Arthur.  I  have 
no  confidence  in  success. 

If  I  were  in  the  place  of  the  Japanese  I  should 
let  the  whole  fleet  pass  without  hindrance  to  Vladi- 
vostok, not  risking  my  own  ships  in  battle.  It 
would  be  so  easy  to  make  a  second  Port  Arthur  out 
of  it.  A  siege  can  be  more  easily  undertaken  there 
(if  they  have  not  already  done  so).  The  fortress  is 
worse  ;   there  are  less  stores,  workshops,  and  docks. 

Every  advantage  is  on  Japan's  side.  Her  success 
is  almost  sure. 

March  18th  (morning). — The  weather  is  worse. 
The  barometer  is  falling.  The  wind  gets  stronger 
and  stronger  ;    it  has  attained  the  force  of  a  gale. 


TOWING  THE  TORPEDO-BOATS  21 5 

The  Suvaroff  inclined  three  degrees  to  the  wind,  and 
has  remained  in  that  position.  My  heart  beats 
when  I  think  of  the  torpedo-boats.  They  are  being 
towed.  I  am  very  anxious  about  them.  It  will 
be  dark  soon.  How  are  they  faring  now  ?  They 
are  not  visible  from  the  Suvaroff.  The  wind  has 
gone  down,  but  the  sea  is  still  big.  The  Bodry,  one 
of  the  torpedo-boats,  has  her  mast  broken.  The 
Gromky  broke  her  tow-rope,  and  is  going  inde- 
pendently. 

During  the  last  coaling  a  steam-cutter  from  the 
Sissoi  was  sunk.  All  the  crew  were  saved.  The 
boat  incautiously  approached  the  side  of  a  battle- 
ship, which  rolled  and  sank  her.  In  the  Terek 
yesterday  a  sailor  fell  into  the  hold,  and  died  to-day. 

March  igth  (morning). — Probably  the  whole 
world  thought  the  fleet  would  go  from  Nosi  Be  to 
the  East,  round  Australia  or  the  straits  of  Sunda. 
It  is  proposed  to  go,  as  I  have  said,  by  the  straits 
of  Malacca.  Every  one  will  be  astonished  at  our 
effrontery. 

In  a  day  or  so  we  shall  enter  on  a  route  where 
there  are  many  merchant  steamers.  This  means 
that  in  a  short  time  all  the  world  will  know  the 
whereabouts  of  our  fleet  and  the  route  chosen. 

At  a  favourable  spot  the  Japanese  may  meet  us. 


2l6  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN   OCEAN 

The  impending  battle  will  be  one  of  the  most 
momentous  of  the  war. 

Important  events  will  soon  now  begin  to  take 
place.  A  new  phase  of  the  war  which  has  been  so 
unsuccessful  and  unfortunate  for  us  is  beginning. 

We  are  not  going  to  Saigon,  but  to  Kamranh. 
It  is  a  small  bay,  lying  about  350  versts  north  of 
Saigon.  On  shore  there  is  a  fort  and  a  small  settle- 
ment. There  is  no  telegraph,  but  apparently  there 
is  a  post-office.  The  fleet  will  pass  in  view  of 
Singapore. 

Many  officers  have  begun  to  hide  their  things 
behind  the  armour,  in  order  to  be  able  to  dress  them- 
selves after  the  battle.  I  do  not  know  whether  to 
hide  anything.  We  have  begun  to  feel  the  proxi- 
mity of  the  enemy.  I  have  not  yet  selected  the 
place  where  I  shall  be  during  the  fight.  Of  course, 
during  torpedo  attacks  one  should  be  on  deck,  so 
that,  should  the  ship  be  blown  up  and  begin  to  sink, 
one  would  not  have  to  come  up  from  below.  A 
ship  in  this  event  may  go  down  almost  instantane- 
ously, like  the  Petropavlosk  and  the  Hatsuse. 

March  20th  (morning). — Coaling  has  not  taken 
place  to-day.  Many  officers  confidently  rely  on  the 
fleet.  The}7  look  on  the  four  new  battleships, 
Suvaroff,  Borodino,  Alexander,  and  Or  el,  as  invincible. 


NEARING  THE  THEATRE  OF    WAR  21? 

The  Japanese  will  put  forth  all  their  power  to 
destroy  the  Suvaroff,  in  which  is  the  admiral  com- 
manding the  whole  fleet.  The  torpedo  attacks  and 
the  fire  of  all  guns  will  be  concentrated  on  the 
Suvaroff.  She  will  be  exposed  to  the  greatest 
danger.  It  will  be  less  dangerous  in  the  other 
ships,  especially  in  the  Borodino  and  Orel. 

The  Japanese  will  try  to  kill  the  admiral.  And 
what  will  happen  then  ?  Our  ships  can  scarcely 
fly  to  various  neutral  ports  and  be  disarmed,  as 
has  been  done  before. 

We  have  been  eighteen  days  at  sea,  and  our  port 
is  still  far  away  ;  but  with  each  turn  of  the  screw 
we  are  nearer  and  nearer  our  goal.  It  is  five  and 
a  half  months  to-day  since  the  fleet  left  Libau. 
Scarcely  any  one  would  have  supposed  that  nearly 
six  months  would  be  necessary  to  get  as  far  as  the 
straits  of  Malacca. 

The  Donskoi,  Oleg,  Orel,  and  Terek  report  that 
they  have  seen  lights.  Hitherto  the  appearance  of 
every  light  interested  us  ;  but  now  that  we  are 
near  the  theatre  of  war  we  regard  them  with 
complete  equanimity.  Is  it  not  all  the  same  ? 
Would  that  it  were  sooner  ended  !  There  are  people 
who  are  satisfied  with  the  existing  state  of  affairs. 

I   am  surprised   at   them.     Just  now  there   are 


2l8  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 

officers  sitting  at  table  drunk — they  are  singing. 
Nothing  like  it  is  possible  in  the  Japanese  ships. 
There,  they  are  preparing  for  another  feast  and  for 
other  songs.  When  shall  we  get  our  letters  ? 
Hardly  before  we  reach  Kamranh  Bay. 

March  21st. — There  still  remains  3,000  versts  to 
Kamranh  Bay.  They  say  that  Japanese  cruisers 
are  waiting  for  us  there.  It  will  be  ten  or  twelve 
days'  journey  if  nothing  happens.  From  there  to 
Vladivostok  I  think  we  shall  go  at  greater  speed 
than  now,  to  get  over  5,000  versts.  They  are  coal- 
ing to-day. 

I  went  to  the  Bezuprechny  and  Gromky  and 
distributed  confidential  packets  to  the  ships. 
Of  course,  I  did  not  go  to  the  general  lunch.  I 
lunched  instead  with  the  officer  of  the  watch.  A 
curious  thing  happened  in  the  Bezuprechny.  They 
drew  a  small  shark  out  of  the  Kingstons.  It  was 
drawn  in  by  the  current.  The  ships  are  now  forming 
in  battle  order.  Probably  lunch  will  be  late.  To- 
morrow is  the  new  moon.  It  will  give  little  light 
at  night.  It  is  a  pity  that  we  shall  have  to  pass 
through  the  straits  of  Malacca  on  a  dark  night, 
when  we  may  expect  the  Japanese  to  destroy  our 
ships  in  the  narrows. 

March  22nd. — Although  I  did  not  feel  tired  yester- 


THE  REASON   OF   MY  SLEEPINESS  2IO, 

day,  I  lay  down  and  slept  till  the  waves  splashed 
in  through  the  port  and  woke  me. 

Three  sailors  were  scalded  by  steam  in  the 
Oslyabya  ;  it  is  not  yet  known  if  they  are  seriously 
hurt.  I  have  discovered  the  reason  of  my  sleepiness 
yesterday.  I  began  to  smoke  new  French  cigar- 
ettes. They  had  opium  in  them.  It  is  a  pity  I 
have  only  a  hundred  cigarettes  left.  They  are 
very  dear  now.  I  must  smoke  others,  and  keep 
those  with  opium  in  reserve. 

The  torpedo-boat  Buiny  has  damaged  her  forward 
torpedo-tube  by  striking  the  Vladimir.  Now  it 
will  not   work. 

The  fleet  will  pass  through  the  straits  of  Malacca 
in  four  columns.  All  the  transports  will  be  in  the 
middle,  the  battleships  on  the  extreme  right,  and 
the  cruisers  on  the  extreme  left. 

It  is  curious.  You  would  expect  us  to  be  alarmed. 
We  are  almost  on  the  eve  of  meeting  with  the  enemy's 
fleet,  with  his  mines,  submarine  boats,  and  torpedo- 
boats,  and  yet  I  am  quite  calm,  even  happy.  The 
prospect  of  being  at  Vladivostok  in  a  month's  time  is  so 
exhilarating.  I  daily  look  at  the  chart  with  feverish 
interest,  where  the  course  already  run  is  shown, 
and  I  count  the  remaining  miles  to  Vladivostok. 

Are  they  despairing  in  Russia  and  not  counting 


220  ACROSS  THE  INDIAN    OCEAN 

on  Vladivostok  being  able  to  hold  out  ?  If  on  our 
arrival  at  Kamranh  we  learn  that  it  has  fallen,  we 
should  then  have  no  base.  What  could  we  do  then  ? 
We  should  have  to  occupy  one  of  the  Japanese 
islands  and  make  it  our  base — but  that  would  be 
bad  for  the  supply  of  warlike  provisions,  ammuni- 
tion, correspondence,  and  telegrams.  They  would 
not  allow  a  base  to  be  made  at  a  neutral  port.  There 
is  a  report  that  the  Japanese  have  made  themselves 
at  home  in  the  islands  of  the  Natuna  Archipelago, 
which  nominally  belong  to  Holland.  These  islands 
lie  on  our  course  higher  up,  north  of  the  strait  of 
Singapore,  which  is  a  continuation  of  Malacca. 

How  quickly  rats  swim  !  Two  were  thrown  over- 
board to-day.  They  chased  the  ship  and  climbed  up, 
although  the  speed  was  nearly  seven  knots. 

Up  to  the  present  the  newspapers  have  not  known 
where  the  fleet  is  to  be  found.  To-morrow  we  shall 
pass  by  the  lighthouse  of  Pulo  Way.  From  there 
the  ends  of  the  earth  will  be  informed  by  telegrams. 

Strange  lights  have  appeared.  Our  fleet  has  been 
ordered  to  put  out  superfluous  lights.  Ports  are 
covered  with  dead  lights.  We  may  expect  an  attack 
to-night.     At  last  our  wartime  has  begun. 

How  many  restless  nights  are  before  us  ?  How 
will  it  all  end  ? 


CHAPTER    IX 

THROUGH   THE   STRAITS   OF   MALACCA 

March  23rd  (morning). — Yesterday  the  following 
message  was  received  from  the  captain  of  the  Terek : 
"  The  crew  will  not  disperse  after  prayers,  and 
demand  that  the  first  lieutenant  should  be  changed. 
The  latter  requests  to  be  taken  off  the  ship's  books. 
I  consider  the  crew  in  the  wrong."  What  ?  A 
mutiny  ?  The  last  sentence  is  specially  character- 
istic. 

The  fleet  has  increased  speed.  We  are  entering 
the  straits  of  Malacca,  and  have  said  good-bye  to 
the  Indian  Ocean.  Two  oceans  successfully  passed  ! 
What  will  the  third  bring  us  ?  The  island  of  Pulo 
Way  is  close,  but  not  yet  visible. 

During  the  day  the  shores  of  a  small  island  were 
to  be  seen  on  the  horizon,  lying  off  the  island  of 
Sumatra.  This  is  the  first  land  which  we  have 
seen  since  leaving  Nosi  Be.  For  twenty  days  we 
have  seen  no  land  at  all. 


222        THROUGH   THE  STRAITS  OF   MALACCA 

It  is  difficult  to  remain  in  one's  cabin,  owing  to 
the  heat.     No  other  place  is  convenient  for  writing. 

The  ship  is  in  darkness  everywhere.  This  has 
been  done  purposely,  in  order  that  when  the  men 
have  to  rush  hurriedly  on  deck  they  will  be  accus- 
tomed to  the  darkness.  The  battleship  Orel 
delayed  the  speed  of  the  fleet  for  two  hours.  One 
of  her  principal  steam-pipes  burst,  and  she  could 
not  steam.  Now  it  is  repaired.  We  are  at  present 
in  a  wide  part  of  the  straits.  God  forbid  that  a 
similar  thing  should  happen  in  the  narrows,  or 
during  the  battle. 

Since  seven  o'clock  till  the  present  moment  I 
have  been  on  the  bridge,  hesitating  to  go  below. 
Nevertheless,  I  am  satisfied — satisfied  because  we 
are  moving  towards  the  finale. 

March  24th. — Yesterday  we  lost  four  hours  of  the 
twenty-four.  This  is  bad.  In  order  to  pass  through 
the  dangerous  parts  by  day  we  shall  have  to  remain 
in  the  straits  an  extra  day.  The  sooner  we  pass  the 
straits  of  Malacca  and  Singapore  the  better. 

I  am  surprised  at  myself.  I  am  in  no  way  dis- 
turbed. Knowing  that  at  any  moment  any  night 
we  may  be  attacked,  I  continue  to  sleep  peacefully. 
I  go  to  bed  undressed.  I  go  to  sleep  quickly,  and 
think  little  about  the  danger.    My  servant  is  dis- 


NEARLY   BURIED   ALIVE  !  223 

satisfied.  He  bothers  me  to  hide  my  things.  He  has 
not  found  a  convenient  place  for  them,  and  it  troubles 
him.  Though  I  know  of  a  good  place,  I  am  silent. 
He  is  probably  beginning  a  removal.  I  shall  have 
to  sort  out  my  clothes,  and  I  do  not  want  to. 

It  is  raining  and  gloomy. 

This  morning  there  were  two  water-spouts,  but  I 
did  not  see  them,  although  I  got  up  at  seven. 

The  torpedo-boat  Biedovy  reported  that  in  the 
morning  a  sailor  was  found  lying  motionless  on 
deck.  It  was  concluded  that  he  was  dead.  They 
asked  permission  to  bury  him  at  once.  The  staff 
delayed  the  answer.  Suddenly  it  was  discovered 
that  he  was  alive.  A  nice  thing  if  they  had  thrown 
him  alive  into  the  sea  ! 

One  of  the  officers  in  the  Suvaroff  was  playing 
with  the  dog  yesterday.  The  dog  grew  very  tired, 
and  suddenly  began  to  bark  furiously,  rushed  on 
deck,  and  bit  the  other  dogs.  They  poured  water 
over  it,  but  to  no  purpose.  It  jumped  into  the 
stern  gallery,  and  then  overboard,  and  was  drowned. 
The  two  dogs  which  were  bitten  were  tied  up,  as 
they  may  possibly  go  mad. 

We  have  been  some  time  in  the  straits  of  Malacca, 
but  up  to  the  present  have  not  met  a  single  steamer. 
At  night  sometimes  lights  are  visible,  and  once  by 


224        THROUGH  THE  STRAITS  OF  MALACCA 

day  smoke  was  seen  on  the  horizon.  It  was  hardly 
perceptible.  Before  the  storm  there  is  calm.  It 
may  be  so  now.  A  signal  has  been  made  that  at 
night  officers  are  not  to  sleep  away  from  the  guns 
they  command.  The  crew  have  been  sleeping  at 
their  guns  for  some  time  past.  Every  precaution 
is  taken  against  a  night  attack  of  torpedo-boats. 

We  have  begun  to  meet  several  steamers.  They 
very  wisely  get  out  of  their  way  in  good  time. 

A  heavy  squall  has  just  gone  by.  Until  then  the 
sea  was  as  calm  as  a  mirror. 

The  officers  are  distributing  pots  with  powders 
for  extinguishing  fires,  and  bags  containing  band- 
ages.    I  do  not  believe  in  fire-extinguishing  powders. 

The  sailor  about  whose  death  there  was  a  mis- 
understanding has  been  buried.  Some  one  in  the 
torpedo-boat  read  the  appointed  prayers,  our  priest 
with  his  cross  blessed  the  deceased  from  afar, 
and  the  body  was  launched  into  the  sea.  How 
simple  ! 

After  dinner  I  spent  three  hours  on  the  bridge 
with  the  captain.  I  had  tea  there.  I  asked  him 
about  Vladivostok  and  the  life  there,  etc. 

At  noon  to-day  there  were  2,100  more  versts  to 
Kamranh,  which  we  can  do  in  about  seven  days 
if  there  is  no  fight  or  other  hindrance. 


MAKING  FOR  THE  NARROWS  225 

March  25th  (day). — We  met  steamers  all  night, 
but  they  went  aside  out  of  our  course. 

The  Hull  incident  has  had  its  advantages.  Last 
night  we  met  several  steamers.  The  searchlights  were 
turned  on  them. 

Admiral  Enquist  states  that  he,  the  captain, 
officers,  and  crew  clearly  saw  a  steamer,  behind 
which  twelve  torpedo-boats  were  following.  This 
can  hardly  be  true.  The  Japanese  are  not  so  foolish 
as  to  show  their  torpedo-boats  by  day  to  an  enemy's 
fleet.  The  Isumrud  reported  that  she  saw  a  steamer 
followed  by  porpoises.  She  hesitates  to  say  that 
they  are  submarines,  but  thinks  they  are. 

We  shall  soon  be  in  a  very  narrow  part,  where 
the  fairway  is  far  from  wide.  We  are  obliged  to 
go  by  this  fairway,  as  it  is  not  possible  to  avoid  it. 
Something  horrible  may  happen  in  it.  There  may 
be  submarine  boats,  or  ground-mines,  which  they 
may  place  shortly  before  we  pass,  in  order  that 
other  ships  should  not  strike  them.  Mines  can  be 
put  down  so  that  at  a  given  time  they  will  sink 
themselves.  The  steamer  that  is  shadowing  us 
might  easily  do  this.  She  is  behaving  suspiciously 
— now  going  fast,  now  stopping,  now  altering 
course.  What  is  to  prevent  her  from  going  on 
ahead,  and  laying  down  ground-mines  in  her  wake  ? 

IS 


226         THROUGH   THE  STRAITS  OF   MALACCA 

Even  if  our  ships  successfully  evade  the  mines,  they 
will  in  a  certain  period  of  time  sink,  and  the  straits 
will  again  be  safe  for  neutral  ships.  It  can  all  be 
done  so  simply  and  conveniently.  Will  the  Japanese 
really  allow  such  an  opportunity  to  pass  of  damaging 
our  fleet  ? 

To-day  there  was  mass.  I  did  not  go  to  church, 
but  lay  down.     I  wanted  to  go  to  sleep. 

Another  night,  and  the  straits  of  Malacca  will  be 
behind  us.  The  night  is  dark.  At  4  a.m.  we  shall 
again  be  in  a  narrow  fairway.  We  shall  pass 
Singapore  by  day,  and  at  six  we  shall  enter  the 
South  China  Sea.  We  shall  pass  the  Natuna  Islands, 
where  the  presence  of  the  Japanese  is  suspected. 

Do  they  intend  to  attack  us  in  the  straits  of 
Malacca  ?  By  to-morrow  evening  this  will  be 
cleared  up.  Will  they  concentrate  all  their  attention 
and  their  strength  on  the  strait  of  Sunda,  or  east 
of  it  ?  Perhaps  they  do  not  want  to  undertake 
anything  till  the  fleet  enters  the  China  Sea.  The 
Japanese  are  enterprising.  Why  do  they  miss 
opportunities  that  are  so  favourable  for  them  ? 

To-day  we  saw  a  long,  narrow,  even  strip  of  land 
which  was  the  Malay  Peninsula.  It  is  here  that 
I  again  see  the  Asiatic  Continent. 

Some  strange  birds  were  flying  round  the  ships. 


I  MALACCA   PASSED  227 

They  were  not  gulls,  nor  albatrosses,  or  any  other 
sea-bird. 

March  26th  (night). — At  eleven  o'clock  we  passed 
the  town  of  Malacca.  The  lights  of  the  town  were 
distinctly  visible.  Of  course,  the  lights  of  our  ships 
are  clearly  seen  in  the  town.  When  we  were  passing 
it  a  schooner  appeared  on  the  horizon,  coming 
towards  us.  The  searchlights  were  turned  on  to 
her.  A  torpedo-boat  approached  her,  and  con- 
ducted her  past  the  fleet.  It  was  a  pretty  sight. 
Her  white  hull  and  sails  showed  out  clearly  in  the 
darkness.  She  passed  close  to  the  right  column 
of  battleships. 

None  of  the  officers  has  gone  to  bed  to-night. 
I  am  thinking  of  going  now.  It  might  happen  that 
we  shall  reach  Vladivostok  without  meeting  Japanese 
ships.  It  would  be  a  great  surprise  for  us  all. 
The  sea  is  wide,  and  there  are  many  ways  to  that 
port.  It  is  possible  that  our  extreme  course  will 
be  so  successfully  chosen  that  the  Japanese  will 
leave  it  unwatched. 

Since  the  battle  of  Mukden  we  have  had  no  news 
of  what  is  going  on  at  the  theatre  of  war.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  we  only  had  agency  telegrams  about 
the  Mukden  fight.  Many  people  doubt  their  authen- 
ticity.    I  believe  them.     Up  to  the  present  all  that 


228         THROUGH   THE  STRAITS  OF   MALACCA 

the  French  agency  telegrams  have  informed  us  of 
has  proved  true. 

In  a  few  hours  we  shall  be  in  the  China  Sea. 

The  officers  are  enumerating  various  reasons  why 
the  Japanese  did  nothing  while  we  were  in  the 
straits  of  Malacca.  Perhaps  they  have  prepared 
for  a  meeting  in  the  Rio  Strait,  which  we  shall  soon 
pass.  Perhaps  the  English  insisted  on  their  not 
causing  trouble  by  laying  mines  in  the  straits  of 
Malacca,  where  there  are  considerable  movements 
of  merchant  ships.  Perhaps  the  Japanese  fleet  is 
waiting  for  us  at  the  Natuna  Archipelago.  Fighting 
a  battle  there  would  be  more  advantageous  for  us, 
because  our  ships  could  manoeuvre. 

We  shall  see  if  anything  happens  to-night.  Some 
people  suppose  that  peace  may  have  concluded. 
If  that  is  the  case,  it  is  a  very  disgraceful  peace. 
Russia  can  scarcely  entertain  it. 

I  did  not  leave  my  cabin  until  six  o'clock  to-day. 
Going  on  deck,  I  learnt  the  news  that  the  Russian 
consul  from  Singapore  approached  the  fleet  in  a 
tug,  and  told  us  that  three  weeks  ago  the  Japanese 
fleet  at  its  full  strength  came  to  Singapore,  accom- 
panied by  twelve  transports,  floating  workshops, 
hospitals,  and  torpedo-boats.  From  Singapore  they 
went  to  Borneo. 


JAPANESE  AT  LABUAN  229 

Near  Borneo  is  the  small  island  of  Labuan.  The 
Japanese  bought  land  from  a  Russian  Jew,  in  this 
island,  and  made  themselves  at  home  there.  They 
connected  Labuan  with  Singapore  by  a  telegraph- 
cable.  By  this  means  they  could  have  received 
news  of  our  movements  yesterday.  Their  fleet  at 
Labuan  consists  of  twenty-two  warships,  not  count- 
ing transports,  hospital-ships,  workshops,  and 
torpedo-boats. 

To-night  a  torpedo  attack,  and  to-morrow  a 
battle,  are  almost  inevitable.  I  must  put  on  clean 
clothes,  and  lay  in  a  stock  of  wool  so  as  not  to  be 
deafened  by  the  firing. 

I  received  an  extract  from  the  log.  Such 
nonsense  is  written  in  it  that  I  shall  have  to 
alter  it. 

It  is  past  ten  o'clock,  and  up  to  now  all  is  quiet. 
The    Japanese    consider    the    27th    their    lucky 
number.     Perhaps  they  have  postponed  the  battle 
to  that  date. 

According  to  the  consul  the  passage  of  our  fleet 
through  the  straits  of  Malacca  was  a  complete 
surprise  to  every  one,  including  the  Japanese. 
That  accounts  for  our  not  having  met  with  any 
resistance.  The  eyes  of  all  were  fixed  in  another 
direction. 


23O         THROUGH   THE   STRAITS  OF   MALACCA 

Another  ship  has  just  met  and  passed  the  fleet. 
We  turned  searchlights  on  her  and  let  her  pass. 
At  noon  to-day  we  were  about  1,500  versts  from 
Kamranh.  If  there  are  no  delays  we  can  get  there 
on  March  30th. 

Probably  in  this  evening's  telegrams  is  the  news 
that  our  fleet  has  passed  Singapore.  We  heard 
that  Vladivostok  and  Harbin  are  still  in  our  hands. 
Shall  I  go  to  bed,  and  if  so  shall  I  sleep  ?  What 
if  there  is  an  attack  ?  I  have  begun  to  look  with 
equanimity  on  possible  attacks  and  fights. 

I  do  not  think  I  shall  lose  my  presence  of  mind 
during  a  battle,  but  shall  remain  calm.  Soon  I 
may  put  myself  to  the  test. 

Again  the  attention  of  the  whole  world  is  con- 
centrated on  the  fleet.  How  much  the  war  depends 
on  its  success  or  defeat  !  The  hope  of  victory  is 
small,  but  if  it  comes,  everything  will  be  changed 
at  once.  The  faces  of  a  good  many  lengthened  a 
little  when  the  proximity  of  the  Japanese  fleet 
was  known.     A  conflict  with  it  is  unavoidable. 

March  2jth. — The  night  passed  quietly.  The 
fleet  has  stopped  since  this  morning.  Torpedo- 
boats  are  coaling.  They  had  very  little  left,  and 
it  would  not  last  to  Kamranh.  What  of  the  Japan- 
ese ?     Do  they  not  know  the  place  where  we  are  to 


ANAMBA  LEFT  BEHIND  23 1 

be  found,  and  are  they  looking  for  us  at  sea  ?  It 
is  hardly  likely. 

Our  course  is  clear — to  the  north  from  Singapore 
to  Vladivostok.  Perhaps  they  have  gone  ahead 
and  are  waiting  somewhere.     This  is  possible. 

The  question  is  being  asked  why  the  fleet  does 
not  go  straight  to  Vladivostok,  not  calling  at  Kam- 
ranh.  It  would  be  easy  to  do  this  if  the  ships  were 
filled  up  with  coal  for  so  great  a  distance.  Coaling 
at  sea  when  an  attack  is  expected  every  minute  is 
unwise  and  dangerous. 

The  torpedo-boats  have  filled  up  with  coal  and 
the  fleet  is  proceeding.  To-day  there  was  mass. 
I  stood  thinking  that  perhaps  this  was  the  last  ser- 
vice in  the  Suvaroff.  Perhaps  the  next  will  be  a 
requiem  for  the  killed.  We  must  expect  and  be 
prepared  for  everything. 

7  p.m. — We  have  passed  the  island  of  Anamba. 
The  admiral  opines  that  we  shall  meet  the  Japanese 
fleet  to-morrow.  The  sea  is  calm.  There  is  a 
swell.  The  small  ships  roll.  It  is  interesting  to 
know  what  impression  the  news,  that  the  fleet  has 
passed  Singapore,  will  produce  in  Petersburg. 
Where  is  the  third  fleet  now  ?  Will  it  join  us  at 
Vladivostok  ?  Shall  we  await  it  at  Kamranh  ? 
If  we  safely  arrive  at  that  bay,  then  the  Japanese 


232        THROUGH   THE  STRAITS  OF   MALACCA 

will  have  to  look  after  the  Vladivostok  cruisers, 
our  ships,  and  the  third  fleet.  They  will  have  to 
divide  their  forces,  and  that  would  be  an  advantage 
for  us.  Can  they  not  have  left  ships  to  watch 
Vladivostok  ?  Is  there  ice  there  still  ?  They  say 
it  usually  breaks  up  at  the  beginning  of  April. 

During  the  coming  fight  the  Oleg  and  Aurora 
have  been  ordered  to  support  the  battleships  that 
are  sustaining  the  fight.  Some  of  the  cruisers  will 
remain  to  defend  the  transports,  which  ought  to 
try  and  reach  Kamranh. 

At  noon  to-day  we  were  rather  more  than  1,000 
versts  from  it,  and  relatively  closer  to  our  final 
goal.  Can  it  be  that  at  the  very  last  we  shall  be 
unsuccessful  ?  All  our  troubles  and  deprivations 
will  have  been  in  vain.  There  are  too  many  chances 
on  the  side  of  Japan.  It  is  a  good  thing  that  we 
passed  through  the  straits  of  Malacca.  The  Japan- 
ese evidently  did  not  count  on  our  taking  such  a 
risky  step.  The  papers,  continually  writing  about 
the  strait  of  Sunda  and  our  colliers  which  were 
assembled  there,  turned  their  attention  from  the 
straits  of  Malacca.  The  consul,  however,  stated 
that  five  submarines  were  waiting  for  us  the  way 
we  came.  If  that  was  the  case,  why  did  they  not 
attack  ? 


PROVISIONS  RUNNING  SHORT  233 

March  28th. — All  is  quiet  at  present.  Where 
are  the  Japanese  ?  Why  have  they  not  attacked 
us  ?  Perhaps  they  thought  they  might  disable  some 
of  our  ships  with  torpedos  in  the  strait  of  Sunda. 
The  large  ships  would  then  attack  our  weakened 
fleet  to  decisively  destroy  it.  The  whole  scheme 
was  upset  as  we  did  not  go  that  way.  Perhaps 
they  are  now  cruising  somewhere  near  Saigon  await- 
ing us.  Our  idea  is  to  go  in  to  Kamranh,  and  wait 
there  for  the  third  fleet  and  those  ships  which 
leave  Russia  in  the  spring  with  the  Slava  at  their 
head. 

We  shall  lie  at  Kamranh  an  endless  number  of 
days  in  inactivity,  as  we  did  at  Nosi  Be.  We  have 
already  been  twenty-six  days  at  sea.  Provisions 
are  running  short.  We  have  taken  to  salt  meat. 
At  the  admiral's  table  there  is  neither  vodky,  meat, 
nor  coffee. 

Following  the  general  fashion,  I  intended  to  hide 
my  things.  I  looked  at  my  winter  forage-cap  and 
there  it  ended.     I  am  lazy. 

Our  fleet  has  made  an  unusual  voyage.  If  it 
succeeded  in  reaching  Vladivostok  without  calling 
at  Kamranh,  the  whole  world  would  be  amazed 
at  the  immensity  and  daring  of  the  voyage. 

10  p.m. — We  have  begun  to  receive  telegraphic 


234        THROUGH   THE   STRAITS  OF   MALACCA 

signs.  Possibly  the  Japanese  cruisers  are  com- 
municating with  each  other,  seeking  us. 

Perhaps  we  shall  not  go  to  Kamranh  after  all. 
Colliers  are  due  to  arrive  there  on  April  ist.  We 
shall  then  receive  our  mails.  This  letter  must  be 
closed  in  good  time.  By  my  reckoning  you  will 
receive  it  at  the  end  of  April.  By  that  time  my 
fate  and  the  fate  of  the  fleet  will  be  made  clear. 

March  29th. — South  China  Sea. 

I  sent  a  letter  and  telegram  to  you  by  the 
hospital-ship  Orel,  which  is  going  to  Saigon.  She 
will  be  near  there  by  dawn,  if  the  Japanese  have 
not  attacked  by  that  time.  Then  she  will  be 
obliged  to  take  their  sick  and  wounded,  and 
receive  orders  from  them.  They  will  not  sink  her, 
as  she  is  a  Red  Cross  hospital.  The  Suvaroff  alone 
managed  to  send  letters.  The  other  ships  did  not 
even  know  that  she  was  going  to  Saigon  to-day. 
An  invalid  officer  was  sent  on  board  the  Orel. 
He  could  not  walk  on  board,  but  was  hoisted  up 
by  a  derrick  in  a  special  chair.  A  little  coffee 
was  obtained  from  the  Orel  for  the  admiral's  table. 

I  overslept  myself  to-day,  and  only  arose  at  nine 
o'clock. 

It  is  a  time  of  alarms.  We  constantly  meet 
various    steamers,   principally  under    the    English 


SEVEN   CLOUDS  OF  SMOKE  235 

flag.  The  Oleg  continually  approaches  to  question 
them.  This  morning  we  met  two  English  cruisers. 
One  of  them  saluted,  and  the  Suvaroff  answered. 

This  was  early.  I  woke  up,  hearing  the  firing. 
"  Now,"  I  thought,  "  they  have  begun."  I  looked 
out  of  my  port  and  went  to  sleep  again.  When 
our  signalmen  first  saw  the  English  cruisers,  they 
decided  it  was  the  Diana  coming  to  join  us.  One 
of  them  was  rather  like  her.  Perhaps  the  English 
cruisers  help  the  Japanese  to  look  after  our  fleet. 
We  saw  seven  clouds  of  smoke,  but  they  quickly 
disappeared  behind  the  horizon.  They  were  evi- 
dently seven  ships.  A  steamer  flying  the  English 
flag  met  a  detachment  of  our  cruisers  scouting, 
and  signalled,  "  Have  seen  Japanese  torpedo-boats. 
Beware,  and  look  out  for  attacks  to-night." 

I  am  pleased  that  I  was  able  to  send  you  a  letter 
and  telegram.  I  do  not  count  on  receiving  an 
answer  to  the  latter. 

The  Orel  will  not  stay  long  at  Saigon.  Probably 
you  will  receive  my  last  letter  in  April,  or  in  the 
beginning  of  May,  when  we  shall  be  at  Vladivostok, 
or ! 

March  30th. — General  coaling  has  been  going  on 
from  early  this  morning.  If  we  had  continued  our 
voyage  we  should  have  been   at    Kamranh   about 


236        THROUGH  THE  STRAITS  OF  MALACCA 

two  o'clock.  Now  we  cannot  get  there  before 
to-morrow. 

There  is  no  communication  between  the  ships. 
There  is  a  great  scandal  in  the  Alexander  III.  She 
indicated  that  she  had  about  900  tons  of  coal,  but 
in  reality  it  proved  to  be  only  350. 

Gradually  everything  is  coming  to  an  end.  Cigar- 
ettes and  matches  are  scarce.  I  obtained  a  piece 
of  soap  to-day,  and  there  is  only  one  left. 

When  the  coaling  finished,  the  fleet  proceeded. 
I  did  not  leave  the  Suvaroff.  Several  times  in  the 
course  of  the  day  merchant  vessels  passed  the  fleet. 
I  make  out  that  we  shall  reach  Kamranh  by  dawn 
to-morrow.     We  shall  anchor  there  later. 

The  depth  of  the  fairway  will  be  sounded  and 
searched.  Although  the  soundings  of  this  bay  are 
shown  on  the  chart,  they  do  not  trust  them  entirely. 
The  search  will  be  for  fear  that  the  Japanese  have 
laid  down  mines.  It  will  not  be  an  unnecessary 
precaution.  The  bay  has  two  entrances.  At  one  of 
these  a  temporary  boom  will  be  made  in  order  that 
the  Japanese  may  not  creep  up  to  our  ships  that  way. 

10  p.m. — A  sailor  was  buried  at  sea  to-day.  It 
is  an  extraordinary  thing  that  it  again  happened 
in  the  Oslyabya.  They  have  a  great  many  deaths 
in  that  ship. 


BIRDS   ROUND  THE   SHIPS  237 

The  charts  with  the  soundings  of  Kamranh 
proved  very  inaccurate.  One  officer  informed  the 
staff  that  he  had  grounded  there  in  some  ship.  The 
depth  of  the  spot  was  shown  in  the  chart  as  great, 
whereas  in  fact  it  was  slight. 

While  they  are  sounding  and  searching  to- 
morrow all  the  ships  will  coal,  in  order  not  to  waste 
time. 

Birds  are  flying  round  the  ships.  A  heron  and 
a  dove  fell  from  weariness  near  the  Suvaroff.  The 
heron  was  drowned,  but  the  dove  was  rescued  by 
a  cutter  loaded  with  coal. 

The  moon  is  now  shining.  In  half  an  hour  it 
will  have  set  and  darkness  will  come  on.  If  the 
Japanese  do  not  take  advantage  of  it  for  a  night 
attack,  we  shall  be  near  Kamranh  by  morning.  I 
am  pleased.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  was  thrown  out 
of  my  groove  the  moment  the  war  began.  At  first 
there  was  heavy  night  work,  I  was  seldom  at  home  ; 
then  I  was  transferred  to  Cronstadt,  then  Revel, 
and  Libau,  and  then  abroad.  I  have  had  fourteen 
months  of  this  unnatural  and  vagrant  life. 


CHAPTER  X 


THE   STAY   AT   KAMRANH 


March  31st. — Arrived  at  Kamranh.  We  are  lying 
with  engines  stopped. 

Steamboats  and  torpedo-boats  have  gone  to 
reconnoitre  and  take  soundings.  Coaling  is  just 
beginning.  As  we  approached  this  morning  there 
was  a  fog.  Suddenly  it  lifted,  and  between  the 
fleet  and  the  shore  a  steamer  was  seen.  Seeing  the 
fleet,  she  went  full  speed,  hoping  to  escape.  The 
Jemchug,  Isumrud,  and  Svietlana  were  sent  to 
examine  her.  They  overtook  her,  questioned  her, 
and  let  her  go  without  examination. 

How  many  steamers  were  allowed  to  go  in  this 

way  !     I  am   firmly  convinced  that  many  of  them 

were     carrying     goods    and   provisions  to    Japan. 

We  allowed  them  to  go    after   merely   questioning 

them,  and  not  even  setting  foot   on  their  decks. 

What  sort  of  a  fool  would  admit  that  he  was  taking 

a  cargo  to  Japan  ?     Steamers  should  be  searched, 

238 


LYING   NEAR   THE   BAY  239 

and  not  questioned.  We  have  let  this  one  go. 
Why  did  she  run  if  there  was  nothing  contraband 
on  board  ? 

The  Japanese  would  have  acted  differently.  They 
would  not  have  parted  from  them  with  answers 
only.  Everything  drops  into  our  hands,  and  we 
neglect  it.  How  the  Japanese  and  their  friends 
must  jeer  at  us  !     And  they  are  right. 

It  is  hot  here.  At  Vladivostok  it  is  cold.  When 
we  arrive  there  the  sharp  change  of  temperature 
will  hardly  be  conducive  to  health.  There  will 
probably  be  much  catarrh,  and  even  here  at  Kam- 
ranh  it  is  easy  to  go  down  with  the  local  fever.  A 
cold  wind  comes  from  the  hills. 

The  colliers  should  arrive  soon,  bringing  the  old 
mails.  I  count  on  receiving  letters  from  December 
13th  to  January  21st. 

Where  has  that  respected  institution  called  the 
Naval  General  Staff  sent  our  letters  now  ?  Pro- 
bably they  are  pigeon-holed  in  Petersburg.  We 
have  not  yet  entered  the  bay,  but  are  lying  near  it. 
In  the  depths  of  my  heart  flutters  a  hope  that  the 
Orel  brings  your  answering  telegram.  The  last 
one  was  a  month  and  half  ago. 

We  shall  evidently  receive  nothing  from  Kamranh, 
neither  provisions  nor  stores,     It  is  beginning  to 


240  THE  STAY  AT  KAMRANH 

be  doubtful  if  we  shall  be  able  to  send  a  mail.  It 
is  supposed  that  our  stay  here  will  not  be  long. 
We  shall  take  in  coal  and  stores,  and  move  on. 

The  distance  from  here  to  Vladivostok  as  the 
crow  flies,  i.e.  in  a  straight  line,  is  little  more  than 
3,000  versts.  Of  course,  our  journey  will  be  con- 
siderably longer.  I  reckon  that  if  nothing  happens 
we  can  do  it  in  fifteen  days.  Trying  days  they 
will  be.  Perhaps  the  course  we  choose  will  be 
round  about,  in  which  case  we  shall  toss  on  the  sea 
a  long  time. 

11  p.m. — The  transports  and  some  of  the  torpedo- 
boats  have  entered  the  bay  ;  the  other  torpedo-boats 
and  warships  will  remain  at  sea,  cruising  round 
Kamranh  with  lights.  Probably  we  shall  go  into 
the  bay  to-morrow.  There  are  signs  that  we  shall 
wait  here  for  the  third  fleet.  If  you  could  but 
imagine  what  is  going  on  !  If  it  were  possible  for 
me  to  tell  you  all  about  it,  you  would  be  amazed. 
Should  I  live,  I  will  tell  you  afterwards.  No,  there 
is  no  use  our  fighting.  Things  have  come  to  such 
a  pass  that  I  can  only  wring  my  hands  and  feel 
assured  that  no  one  can  escape  his  fate,  for  this  is 
the  only  possible  assurance. 

The  weather  has  begun  to  grow  cooler.  The 
engines  and  boilers  of  all  the  ships  are  worn,  espe- 


ENTERING  THE  BAY  241 

cially  the  boilders.  It  is  not  surprising,  considering 
that  for  thirty  days  we  have  not  let  go  an  anchor, 
Everything  has  its  limits. 

April  1st. — Kamranh  Bay.  We  have  only  just 
begun  to  enter  the  bay,  having  spent  thirty  days 
at  sea. 

The  hospital-ship  Orel  has  not  returned,  nor  have 
the  colliers  come.  Have  they  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  Japanese  ? 

When  our  warships  approached  close  to  Kamranh, 
fishermen  were  seen  in  their  boats  ;  but  for  some 
reason  not  one  of  them  came  near  us. 

In  the  morning  a  little  bird,  apparently  an  ex- 
hausted canary,  was  caught  on  deck. 

Last  night  was  cooler.  I  woke  up  dry  this 
morning.  Such  a  thing  has  not  happened  to  me 
for  a  very  long  time. 

One  cannot  help  wondering  if  it  is  wise,  losing 
so  much  time  at  Kamranh.  All  the  preparations 
Japan  made  for  meeting  us  at  the  Sunda  Straits 
can  be  transferred  to  another  spot.  They  will  have 
time  to  construct  everything  afresh.  Their  device 
at  Sunda  Strait  having  failed,  it  will  be  more;  ad- 
vantageous for  them  to  meet  our  fleet  nearer  their 
own  shores,  where  they  could  at  once  repair  their 
damages  and  where  they  have  many  bases. 

16 


242  THE  STAY    AT   KAMRANH 

All  this  compels  me  to  think  that  we  are  hardly 
likely  to  meet  them  before  passing  Formosa.  Of 
course,  if  we  remain  long  at  this  place,  circumstances 
may  alter,  and  afford  the  Japanese  the  possibility 
of  attacking  us  in  the  bay  itself,  and  of  mining  it. 
In  that  case  Kamranh  will  be  an  actual  trap.  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  Japanese  consider  us  more 
crafty  than  we  really  are.  On  the  contrary,  we  are 
very  simple.  I  say  "  simple  "  in  order  not  to  use 
a  stronger  term. 

We  have  just  anchored.  The  approaching  colliers 
can  be  seen  in  the  distance.  The  shores  of  the  bay 
are  hilly,  in  some  places  covered  with  growth ;  in 
others  there  is  grey  stone  or  sand.  The  sand  is  a 
curious  colour  ;  sometimes  it  is  quite  white,  and 
sometimes  yellow. 

I  have  to  go  away  in  the  steamboat.  During 
the  night,  two  torpedo-boats  went  to  examine  a 
passing  steamer,  and  the  Blestyastchy  managed  to 
tear  the  Bezuprechny's  side.  The  sea  is  not  wide 
enough  for  two  Russian  torpedo-boats !  They 
must  be  repaired.  In  the  Bezuprechny  the 
rudder  is  out  of  order,  and  one  engine  does  not 
work. 

Officers  who  went  into  the  bay  in  torpedo-boats 
yesterday  state  that  at  Kamranh  there  are  post 


MEETING  OF  ADMIRALS  AND  CAPTAINS        243 

and  telegraph  offices,  plenty  of  provisions,  and  that 
a  railway  is  being  constructed  to  Saigon. 

A  telegram  was  received  here  yesterday  that  the 
third  fleet  had  left  Jibutil.  Hava's  agency  states 
that  a  great  fight  occurred  between  our  fleet  and 
the  Japanese,  near  the  island  of  Borneo.  Such 
false  news  will  only  cause  uneasiness  in  Russia. 

Three  weeks  ago  two  Japanese  cruisers  arrived 
here,  but  two  torpedo-boats  were  sent  from  Saigon 
demanding  them  to  leave  the  bay.  They  went. 
Perhaps  they  will  tell  us  to  go  away  from  here,  and 
evidently  it  is  supposed  that  we  shall  remain  here 
a  long  time. 

The  external  appearance  of  the  bay  and  its 
entrances  compare  with  Port  Arthur.  I  hope  it 
will  not  actually  become  a  second  Port  Arthur. 

They  are  just  bringing  the  mail  from  the  collier. 

April  2nd. — Yesterday  the  admirals  and  captains 
of  all  ships  were  sent  for  on  board  the  Suvaroff. 
There  was  a  council  of  war. 

The  collier  only  brought  from  Diego  Suarez 
letters  which  were  addressed  to  Madagascar.  For 
some  ships  there  were  no  letters,  and  for  others 
only  two  or  three  each.  There  was  much  swearing 
over  it. 

The  hospital-ship  Orel  is  approaching  and  brings 


244  THE  STAY  AT  KAMRANH 

news.  Yesterday  about  3  p.m.  I  went  to  the 
Bezwprechny.  The  work  there  seemed  enormous. 
They  wanted  a  fortnight  to  do  it  in.  I  undertook 
to  do  it  in  forty-eight  hours,  and  I  think  I  shall 
succeed.  I  went  to  bed  at  four — slept  in  the  Kam- 
chatka in  the  captain's  deck  cabin.  I  made  myself 
very  dirty.  In  the  torpedo-boats  I  always  take 
care  to  wear  some  one  else's  white  tunic  when  I 
have  to  crawl  about. 

I  fed  in  the  Kamchatka.  They  feed  there  better 
than  in  the  Suvaroff.  A  Chinese  cook  has  been 
engaged  from  Singapore  for  the  admiral's  table  ; 
perhaps  the  Orel  is  bringing  him  here. 

The  workmen  in  the  Kamchatka  are  without 
tobacco,  and  pay  ten  copecks  for  a  cigarette.  How 
is  this  ?  Tobacco  was  sent  them  from  the  Suvaroff. 
I  got  on  board  with  difficulty,  as  there  was  no  boat. 

At  sunset  I  shall  go  to  the  torpedo-boat,  and 
spend  the  night  there.  They  sent  off  a  mail  while 
I  was  away.  I  was  sorry  I  could  not  send  a  letter. 
When  I  leave  the  Suvaroff  again  I  shall  leave  this 
one,  and  hope  that  it  will  be  sent  somehow. 

How  carelessly  they  deal  with  the  post  !  It  was 
decided  that  the  Gortchakoff  (transport)  should  go 
to  Russia  from  Nosi  Be.  They  sent  the  mail  in 
her  and  many  sailors'  letters.    The  Gortchakoff  came 


THE   GOAT   PREFERS   A   PAPER   DIET  245 

with  us,  all  the  correspondence  is  in  her,  and  the 
senders  think  that  the  letters  have  already  been 
received  at  home.  It  is  very  annoying.  Several 
letters  contained  money. 

The  Orel  took  the  invalid  officer  to  Saigon,  in 
order  that  he  might  go  back  to  Russia. 

When  we  were  passing  through  the  straits  of 
Malacca  a  sailor  of  the  Alexander  disappeared,  with 
his  hammock.  They  thought  he  wanted  to  desert 
the  ship,  and  had  thrown  himself  overboard,  taking 
with  him  his  hammock,  which  was  covered  with 
cork  and  floats.  When  the  Bezuprechny  received 
her  injury  a  servant  thought  she  was  sinking,  and 
waking  all  the  officers,  he  put  a  lifebelt  into  their 
hands. 

There  is  a  goat  in  that  torpedo-boat.  They 
brought  her  from  Nosi  Be.  During  the  thirty  days' 
passage  she  fed  only  on  paper,  did  not  eat  hay, 
and  even  now  refuses  it.  They  nurse  her  like  a 
baby.  All  the  visiting-cards  have  been  eaten  by 
her.  To-day  she  has  been  taken  for  a  run  on 
shore. 

A  boatswain  and  a  sailor  were  buried  to-day. 
They  were  killed  by  a  derrick  in  thelrtish.  In  almost 
every  port  there  are  victims  of  accidents  in  the 
fleet. 


246  THE   STAY  AT   KAMRANH 

I  saw  some  natives — Annamese.  They  are  of 
the  Malay  type,  yellow  and  rather  repulsive.  They 
approached  the  Kamchatka  and  Bezuprechny,  offer- 
ing to  sell  various  rubbish.  The  tobacco  was 
quickly  bought  up,  and  they  paid  very  dearly 
for  it. 

Will  the  Orel  bring  me  an  answer  to  my  telegram  ? 
How  delighted  I  should  be  if  I  received  it ! 

We  are  coaling  in  the  Suvaroff.  Everywhere 
there  is  dirt  and  nastiness  ;  they  are  heaping  up 
coal  in  the  wardroom  and  in  the  officers'  cabins. 

1  a.m. — Received  your  telegram.     Many  thanks. 

April  3rd. — Transport  Kamchatka,  Kamranh  Bay. 

At  last  I  can  write.  I  have  not  been  in  the 
Suvaroff  since  yesterday.  All  the  time  I  was  either 
in  the  Bezuprechny  or  on  board  the  Kamchatka, 
where  I  am  now  writing  to  you.  I  obtained  paper, 
went  into  the  deck-house,  and  am  scribbling.  Horri- 
ble !  Whole  flocks  of  cockroaches  are  running 
about. 

The  German  steamer  Dagmar  weighed  anchor 
yesterday  to  go  to  Saigon.  She  was  stopped  and 
given  a  mail  from  the  staff.  I  took  advantage  of 
this,  and  gave  my  letters  to  be  sent  to  her. 

I  am  not  satisfied  with  the  work  in  the  Bezu- 
prechny.    I  counted  on  finishing  it  to-day,  and  have 


A  FOG  OF   COAL-DUST  247 

not  succeeded.  The  sea  and  the  swell  hindered  it. 
Her  rudder  is  repaired,  and  they  are  now  repairing 
the  breach. 

Yesterday  a  French  cruiser  came  to  Kamranh 
with  an  admiral.  Salutes  were  exchanged.  The 
admirals  paid  each  other  visits.  To-day  the  cruiser 
left. 

11  p.m. — Battleship  Kniaz  Suvaroff. 

I  had  scarcely  succeeded  in  writing  the  last  page 
when  a  letter  from  the  Suvaroff  came  for  me.  I 
found  the  ship  horribly  dirty.  Everywhere  there 
was  coal-dust  as  thick  as  your  finger.  It  hangs  in 
the  air  like  a  fog.  I  do  not  know  where  or  how  to 
sleep.  It  is  hot  and  dusty  in  the  cabin.  Last 
night  I  dozed,  sitting  on  the  Kamchatka's  deck  in 
a  chair  (a  canvas  one  like  those  used  in  datchas1). 
I  woke  up  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

These  last  days  I  'have  been  feeding  in  the 
Bezuprechny,  or  sometimes  in  the  Kamchatka.  They 
feed  better  everywhere  than  in  the  Suvaroff.  It  has 
been  awkward  about  provisions  up  to  now.  Every- 
thing has  been  bought  up  on  shore.  Literally 
nothing  remains.  Eggs  are  sold  at  twenty-eight 
copecks  a-piece  (about  yd.).  In  the  morning  they 
were  selling  ox-meat  for  nearly  a  gold  piece. 
1  A  country  house  or  bungalow. 


248  THE  STAY  AT   KAMRANH 

Altogether  there  are  four  Europeans  living  on 
shore,  and  forty  Malays.  It  is  almost  a  desert. 
There  are  only  five  or  six  houses.  The  engineers 
who  are  constructing  the  railway  live  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  bay. 

There  is  a  telegraph  and  post-office  here.  A 
Chinese  receives  the  correspondence,  and  does  it 
very  slowly.  From  twelve  to  six  yesterday  he  only 
took  ten  telegrams  and  twelve  letters  from  two 
men.  Twelve  men  were  unable  to  hand  in  any- 
thing.    A  Chinese  clerk  is  not  a  quick  worker. 

There  is  splendid  sport  here — elephants,  tigers, 
monkeys,  etc. 

A  clerk  from  the  Donskoi  was  buried  on  shore 
to-day.  Admiral  Folkersham  has  had  a  stroke, 
but  the  doctors  say  it  is  very  slight  and  not 
dangerous.  Do  you  remember  I  told  you  a  sailor 
threw  himself  and  his  hammock  into  the  straits  of 
Malacca  ?  A  steamer  picked  him  up,  took  him  to 
Singapore,  handed  him  over  to  the  Russian  consul, 
who  sent  him  to  Saigon,  and  from  there  he  was 
sent  to  the  fleet.  He  declares  that  he  fell  over- 
board accidentally. 

When  the  hospital-ship  Orel  approached  Saigon 
she  was  met  by  a  cutter  and  a  steamer  of  Guns- 
burg's,  which  had  come  to  co-operate  with  her. 


MEETING  OF   ENGINEERS  249 

The  public  were  not  allowed  on  board  the  Orel. 
In  the  evening,  papers  came  out  announcing  that 
the  Japanese  had  been  defeated  by  our  fleet,  that 
the  Orel  was  full  of  wounded,  whose  groans  were 
audible,  although  no  one  was  allowed  on  board,  etc. 
Such  lies  can  only  agitate  people  in  Russia.  The 
Japanese,  of  whom  there  are  many  in  Saigon,  were 
so  offended  that  next  day  they  did  not  leave  their 
houses. 

I  was  afraid  I  should  not  have  been  able  to  write 
to  you  to-day.  It  would  have  been  the  first  time. 
Even  on  the  day  of  the  storm  off  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  on  December  8th,  I  managed  to  write  a  few 
words. 

April  4th. — It  was  arranged  by  signal  that  all 
engineer-constructors  should  assemble  to  meet  me. 
After  having  spoken  to  them,  I  set  out  for  the 
Nachimoff.  I  lunched  there  and  drank  two  wine- 
glasses of  vodky,  two  tumblers  of  beer,  and  a  little 
claret.  It  so  happened  that  it  would  have  been 
difficult  to  refuse  them. 

In  the  Nachimoff  all  the  partitions  of  the  officers' 
cabins  have  been  broken  down  (so  that  there  should 
not  be  a  fire).  The  furniture  and  the  sleeping-bunks 
have  been  taken  away.  The  mattresses  lie  on  the 
floor. 


250  THE  STAY   AT  KAMRANH 

All  the  ships  have  prepared  for  battle,  and 
present  a  strange  appearance.  Everywhere  there 
are  defences  made  out  of  chains,  torpedo-nets,  coal, 
hawsers,  sailors'  hammocks,  etc. — anything  that 
comes  to  hand.  The  ships  have  nothing  in  common 
with  what  one  is  accustomed  to  see. 

Three  elephants  have  been  brought  here  for 
sale.  It  is  not  likely  that  any  one  will  purchase 
them. 

The  French  cruiser  has  returned,  and  lies  in  the 
bay  by  the  side  of  our  ships.  It  is  known  that  a 
steamer  will  pass  Kamranh  soon,  taking  about 
280  poods  of  rice  to  Japan.  The  admiral  evidently 
hesitates  about  stopping  her,  fearing  that  he  will 
draw  on  himself  the  accusation  of  making  a  base 
of  a  neutral  port  for  the  operations  of  his  cruisers. 
The  captain  of  the  steamer  is  not  averse  to  giving 
himself  up,  and  will  not  hide  or  fly  from  pursuit. 

Although  we  are  lying  at  Kamranh,  matters 
stand  like  this — any  moment  we  may  expect  an 
order  to  weigh  anchor.  Everything  is  in  readiness 
for  this. 

The  sailor  who  threw  himself  into  the  straits  of 
Malacca  has  been  brought  here.  He  belongs  to 
the  Nachimoff,  and  not  the  Alexander,  as  I  told  you 
before.     Until  the  steamer  picked  him  up  he  kept 


GOING   FROM   SHIP   TO  SHIP  25 1 

himself  afloat  in  the  water  for  nearly  ten  hours. 
To  lighten  himself  he  took  everything  off,  only 
leaving  a  piece  of  neck-cover  on  his  shoulders,  so 
that  the  sun  should  not  scorch  him.  He  went 
overboard  at  night,  and  they  drew  him  out  next 
day.  "  It  was  trying,  going  on  board  the  steamer," 
he  said.  "  They  all  looked  at  me,  and  I  had  nothing 
on." 

We  have  to  go  4,500  versts  to  Vladivostok.  If 
we  do  not  leave  here  soon,  we  shall  have  dark, 
moonless  nights. 

April  $th. — Kamranh  Bay.  How  tired  I  am  to- 
day! All  day  long  I  have  been  going  from  ship  to 
ship.  They  have  not  made  me  a  dirk  in  the  Boro- 
dino, as  the  officer  who  promised  it  is  lying  ill. 

The  officers  in  the  Oleg  are  angry  because  Admiral 
Enquist  is  being  transferred  to  her. 

The  Aurora's  officers  went  shooting,  but  only  killed 
a  dove.     They  did  not  go  far  from  the  shore. 

April  6th. — All  the  battleships  and  the  Aurora 
weighed  anchor  and  went  to  sea.  The  rest  of  the 
ships  remained  in  the  bay. 

I  smoked  my  last  Russian  cigarette. 

Some  of  the  transports  are  going  to  Saigon,  and 
perhaps  will  not  return. 

How  news  is  fabricated  !     There  is  a  Reuter's 


252  THE   STAY  AT   KAMRANH 

telegram  (and  Reuter  publishes  the  most  trust- 
worthy news)  that  in  the  fight  with  the  Japanese 
our  fleet  lost  the  torpedo-boats  Buiny  and  Blesty- 
astchy,  and  two  cruisers,  the  Aurora  and  the 
Donskoi.  Pleasant  for  those  to  read  this  telegram 
whose  nearest  are  in  these  ships.  Although  the 
cook  has  not  arrived,  the  food  has  improved.  Pro- 
visions were  obtained  from  a  steamer  which  arrived 
from  Saigon. 

There  is  a  Japanese  mineral  water  called  "  Jansen." 
A  great  deal  of  this  water  has  been  brought  to  the 
fleet.     I  tried  it,  and  it  was  not  bad. 

The  people  who  sorted  the  provisions  behaved 
like  wild  wolves.  There  were  some  disgusting 
scenes.  The  crew  of  the  Orel  broke  open  a  box 
and  got  drunk.  For  some  reason  a  sailor  threw 
himself  on  the  doctor  with  raised  fists,  but  did  not 
succeed  in  hitting  him.  Two  officers  who  happened 
to  be  near  seized  the  sailor  and  nearly  killed  him. 
They  beat  his  face  into  a  pulp.  It  was  horrible. 
The  French  saw  all  this,  and  a  nice  opinion  they 
will  have  of  the  Russians. 

A  week  before  the  Orel  went  to  Saigon  the  captain 
of  the  Borodino  ordered  4,000  eggs,  hams,  etc.,  for 
the  crew.  The  crew  in  that  ship  will  celebrate  Easter 
like  human  beings.    It  will  not  be  so  in  other  ships. 


FOREST   FIRES  ON   SHORE  253 

My  notebook  is  finished.  This  is  the  second. 
Can  I  obtain  another  ?  How  much  is  written  in 
these  two  books  ! — all  the  history  of  our  breakages 
and  repairs. 

There  is  neither  sight  nor  sound  of  the  Japanese 
fleet.  Will  they  let  the  third  fleet  join  us  without 
a  fight  ?  The  Gortchakoff,  Jupiter,  Kieff,  and 
Kitai  went  to  Saigon.  Cruisers  escorted  them. 
Perhaps  these  transports  will  bring  us  coal.  There 
is  some  belonging  to  Russia,  but  will  the  French 
allow  us  to  take  it  ? 

There  are  perpetual  forest  fires  on  shore.  They 
are  a  beautiful  sight  by  night.  Europeans  say 
that  elephants,  tigers,  and  panthers  wander  about 
the  shore  at  night.  The  beasts  feel  that  they  are 
the  owners.  They  even  go  up  to  the  houses,  out 
of  which  it  is  not  safe  to  venture.  The  place  is 
quite  wild.  The  engineers  who  are  making  the 
cutting  for  the  railway  complain  that  the  elephants 
cherish  enmity  against  the  telegraph-posts,  and 
constantly  tear  them  up.  It  is  an  interesting 
country,  but  not  during  such  a  cruise  as 
ours. 

I  have  not  been  ashore  up  to  the  present,  and 
probably  shall  not  go.  How  wearisome  it  all  is  to 
me  !     It  sometimes  seems  that  this  life  on  board 


254  THE  STAY  AT  KAMRANH 

will  never  end.  A  complete  apathy  comes  over 
me.     Time  is  agonisingly  long. 

April  yth. — An  inquiry  began  to-day  about  the 
sailor  who  attacked  the  officer  in  the  Orel.  If  they 
look  on  the  matter  seriously,  he  will  have  to  end 
his  earthly  existence. 

There  is  a  picture  of  the  surrender  of  Port  Arthur 
in  the  French  papers.  Their  contempt  for  the 
Russians  is  growing. 

They  call  us  hares.  There  was  one  bright  side 
in  all  this  war — the  defence  of  Port  Arthur,  and 
now  that  is  besmirched. 

The  French  cruiser  is  lying  at  Kamranh,  and  will 
remain  here  as  long  as  our  fleet  does  not  leave. 
It  looks  as  if  she  were  guarding  our  ships  from  an 
attack  by  the  Japanese. 

Cursed  war  !  One  is  ashamed  to  look  a  foreigner 
in  the  face. 

Fifteen  months,  and  not  one  victory !  Rout 
after  rout,  and  there  is  nothing  but  disgrace  and 
humiliation. 

There  are  several  officers  in  the  fleet  who  are 
preparing  to  import  their  wives  to  Vladivostok. 
How  comparatively  near  that  port  lies  !  We  have 
come  a  tremendous  journey,  and  only  a  small  bit 
remains.     I  wonder  if  we  shall  arrive  there  soon  ? 


NOTICE  TO   QUIT  255 

We  are  now  waiting  for  the  third  fleet,  and  the 
Japanese  are  preparing  to  meet  us.  No  reports 
about  them  have  reached  us.  We  do  not  even 
know  where  their  fleet  is.  No  doubt  they  know 
our  every  movement.  It  is  all  horrible.  It  is 
annoying  when  one  sees  how  we  do  not  know  how 
to  make  use  of  our  strength. 

April  8th. — Our  auxiliary  cruisers  returning 
from  escorting  the  transports  to  Saigon  met  a  large 
French  steamer.  There  were  many  Russians  on 
board  her.  They  were  in  uniform,  and  were  evi- 
dently returning  from  captivity.  They  waved  their 
caps   and   cheered  our   cruisers. 

The  French  admiral  came  on  board  during  lunch. 
The  meal  was  interrupted  while  he  was  paying  a 
visit,  which  was  quite  unexpected.  Has  he  come  in 
order  to  request  us  to  go  ?  Yes,  it  is  so.  France 
insists  that  we  leave  Kamranh.  She  is  our  ally, 
too.  It  is  proposed  that  we  go  back  600  versts  and 
there  wait  for  the  third  fleet. 

It  is  humiliating  to  go  back  and  retreat  from 
our  final  goal.  If  we  were  to  wait  for  the  third 
fleet,  why  did  we  leave  Nosi  Be  ?  We  only  give 
the  Japanese  a  better  chance  of  preparing  them- 
selves. After  all,  it  may  happen  that  we  shall  go 
on  without  waiting.    Time  has  been  lost,  and  our 


256  THE  STAY  AT  KAMRANH 

strength  has  not  been  augmented.  The  strength 
of  the  Japanese  will  be  concentrated  in  a  smaller 
sphere  of  activity,  and  consequently  will  be  more 
effective. 

In  what  a  horrible  situation  the  second  and 
third  fleets  are  now  placed !  Where  and  how 
shall  we  effect  a  junction  ? 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  third  fleet,  we  might  have 
been  at  Vladivostok  a  long  time  ago.  What  will 
the  third  fleet  do  ? 

By  reckonings  it  has  only  passed  Colombo.  From 
Petersburg  it  was  ordered  to  go  by  the  straits  of 
Sunda. 

April  gth. — An  officer  has  come  from  the  French 
cruiser  and  brought  a  letter  for  the  admiral.  A 
signal  has  been  made  to  get  up  anchor  at  noon 
to-morrow.  It  is  still  unknown  where  we  are 
going — to  Vladivostok,  or  to  some  other  bay.  I 
wonder  if  we  shall  be  able  to  send  letters  to-morrow  ? 
There  is  little  hope  of  that,  but  in  any  case  I  shall 
be  ready. 

South  China  Sea. — At  one  o'clock  we  weighed 
anchor  and  went  to  sea.  The  transports  and  the 
Almaz  remained  in  the  harbour,  as  they  were  coaling 
from  German  colliers.  The  fleet  will  remain  near 
Kamranh  till  they  are  ready  and  can  join  us.     Where 


THE  QUESTION   OF  LIFE  257 

we  shall  steer  then  is  unknown.  Of  course,  we 
might  toss  at  sea  waiting  for  the  third  fleet  ;  but 
coal !  coal !  The  coaling  question  is  the  question 
of  life. 

Two  of  our  colliers  are  arrested.  One  at  Singapore 
and  the  other  at  Saigon.  (Saigon,  too,  is  French  ! 
How  this  will  please  you  !) 

Our  mails  have  been  sent  to  the  Tamboff,  which, 
after  giving  the  fleet  her  load,  will  go  to  Saigon.  If 
she  does  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Japanese, 
the  letters  will  go  to  Russia. 

There  is  an  officer  in  the  fleet  who  was  in  the 
Cesarevitch  on  the  28th — that  is,  on  the  day  on 
which  Witgift x  was  killed,  and  when  our  ships 
fled  so  disgracefully  wherever  they  could.  From 
what  he  says  it  is  evident  that  the  morale  in 
the  ships  was  bad,  and  that  they  were  all  convinced 
that  they  would  return  to  Port  Arthur  ;  that  the 
Japanese  suffered  heavily,  and  if  our  ships  had 
held  out  for  half  an  hour  more  the  enemy's  fleet 
would  have  run.  He  related  a  good  deal.  Obviously, 
we  might  easily  have  been  the  victors.  The  pity 
was  that  the  spirit  of  despair  reigned.  The  Cesare- 
vitch hardly  suffered  at  all.  Wirenius  did  much 
harm  to  the  fleet. 

1  A  Russian  admiral. 

17 


258  THE  STAY   AT  KAMRANH 

All  these  disgraceful  stories  will  come  to  light 
after  the  war  is  over.  Many  heroes  will  then  be 
taken  down  from  their  pedestals. 

If  we  only  had  had  clever  and  daring  leaders 
the  Port  Arthur  fleet  might  easily  have  destroyed 
the  Japanese.  What  a  number  of  mistakes  we 
made  !     How  little  we  valued  our  strength. 

When  one  recalls  it  all  one  cannot  account  for 
the  fatal  errors.  We  have  to  pay  very  dearly  for 
them.  What  follies  they  have  perpetrated  on 
land  !  How  many  young  lives  have  been  lost  ! 
How  much  will  all  this  cost  Russia  ! 

The  weather  is  becoming  better.  The  ships  are 
going  very  slowly,  keeping  near  Kamranh  Bay  with 
lights  covered.  As  usual,  I  stayed  a  long  while  on 
the  bridge.  The  rainy  season  will  begin  here  soon, 
as  well  as  typhoons.  How  will  the  smaller  vessels, 
like  torpedo-boats,  get  on  ? 

April  1.0th. — After  lunch  I  am  going  to  the  Tam- 
boff ;  she  is  shortly  going  to  Saigon.  I  shall  post 
this  letter  by  her.  One  of  the  staff-officers  should 
have  gone  to  the  Tamboff,  but  they  are  nearly  all 
lying  ill.     I  myself  feel  well,  thank  God  ! 

Yesterday  the  Oslyabya  buried  another  sailor. 

There  was  mass  to-day.  It  is  Palm  Sunday. 
How  time  has  flown  !    All  night  the  ships  remained 


DISCRETION   OF  THE   ENGLISH   PRESS         259 

at  sea.  The  night  passed  quietly.  The  Isumrud 
fouled  her  screws  with  a  chain.  Divers  were  sent 
down. 

A  steamer  flying  the  Norwegian  flag  passed  by. 
She  was  examined,  but  nothing  suspicious  was  found. 
She  was  coming  from  Japan,  and  not  going  there. 

I  took  my  last  letter  and  gave  it  to  the  captain 
of  the  Tamboff.  I  handed  him  a  franc  for  the  stamp, 
but  he  was  offended  and  would  not  take  it.  I 
tried  to  obtain  cigarettes,  but  was  unsuccessful. 
The  wardroom  wanted  to  buy  vodky  from  her,  but 
that  too  was  a  failure.  The  Norwegian  steamer 
which  we  examined  this  morning  gave  us  the  latest 
papers.     They  are  all  English. 

The  discretion  of  the  English  press  is  extra- 
ordinary. They  consider  Japan  their  ally,  so  they 
purposely  say  nothing  about  her  fleet.  About  ours 
they  print  all  the  news  they  in  one  way  or  another 
possess.  It  is  not  the  English  newspapers  alone 
that  act  thus.  To  do  them  justice,  the  Japanese 
carefully  conceal  everything,  and  no  one  ever 
rightly  knows  how  many  ships  they  have  lost.  Not 
only  ships,  but  up  to  the  present  no  one  knows 
how  many  troops  Japan  can  place  in  the  field.  It 
was  thought  about  300,000,  and  already  they  have 
placed  nearly  a  million  men. 


260  THE   STAY   AT   KAMRANH 

The  foreign  press  (English  and  French)  puts  our 
losses  from  the  beginning  of  the  war  at  about 
400,000  men.  If  that  is  the  case,  how  many  are 
left  to  Linievitch  ?  A  mere  trifle,  about  200,000. 
Could  anything  more  disgraceful  than  this  war  be 
imagined  ? 

April  nth. — From  time  to  time  merchant  vessels 
pass  near  the  fleet.  Our  cruisers  and  torpedo- 
boats  go  and  examine  them.  A  French  steamer 
came  quite  close,  and  a  man  in  her  expressed  a 
wish  to  hand  something  to  the  admiral  in  person. 
I  know  now  that  he  only  announced  the  date  the 
third  fleet  passed  Colombo,  and  said  that  nothing 
fresh  had  happened  in  Manchuria. 

A  journey  of  only  twelve  or  fifteen  days  separates 
us  from  Vladivostok.  There  it  is  cold,  and  here  it 
is  hot.     Many  of  us  will  catch  colds. 

The  crew  are  dressed  badly.  They  have  no 
boots,  and  their  clothes  are  worn  out  and  ragged. 

The  Frenchman  brought  no  news.  We  received 
newspapers.  From  these  it  is  evident  that  there 
is  a  great  discussion  about  Kamranh  in  France. 
They  fear  the  Japanese  are  there. 

The  news  can  scarcely  be  correct  that  Admiral 
Nebogatoff's  fleet  (third  fleet)  has  passed  Colombo. 
Its  course  is  elsewhere. 


WAS   IT  A  SUBMARINE?  261 

April  12th. — How  people  are  deceived  sometimes  ! 
It  seemed  to  a  good  many  in  the  Suvaroff  yesterday 
that  there  was  a  steam  cutter  between  her  and  the 
Alexander  III.  Instantly  the  fighting  lanterns 
were  uncovered,  and  the  rays  of  the  searchlight 
turned  on  to  the  suspicious  place.  They  saw  some 
white  breakers  and  foam.  Many  are  inclined  to 
believe  it  was  a  submarine  boat,  disappearing  under 
water  when  they  began  to  light  up.  In  confirma- 
tion of  this  supposition  they  point  out  that  the 
Jemchug  saw  something  like  a  periscope  (a  sort  of 
tube  which  projects  out  of  the  water  and  allows 
objects  that  are  above  to  be  seen  in  the  submerged 
boat). 

Last  evening  I  went  to  the  upper  deck  cabin  to 
breathe  the  fresh  air,  lay  on  the  sofa,  and  went 
to  sleep.  At  four  o'clock  I  woke  and  went  back  to 
my  cabin.  I  have  learnt  to  make  cigarettes  fairly 
well.  If  paper  and  tobacco  last,  I  can  get  on  without 
ready-made  ones. 

They  are  beginning  to  say  that  in  a  day  or  two 
we  shall  leave  Kamranh  for  another  bay.  To  do 
this  we  shall  have  to  take  in  coal  and  provisions, 
leaving  the  transports.  The  Tamboff  apparently 
will  not  come  with  us.  Letters  will  not  be  taken 
to  Saigon. 


262  THE  STAY  AT  KAMRANH 

A  war  vessel  has  been  manoeuvring  in  sight  of 
the  fleet.  Fearing  that  she  is  Japanese,  the  Oleg  has 
been  sent  to  make  certain.  It  is  a  false  alarm.  She 
is  probably  the  French  cruiser  Descartes.  There  is 
another  steamer  coming  towards  the  fleet.  The 
question  of  going  to  another  bay  is  settled. 

We  are  going  to  the  bay  of  Van  Fong,  which  is 
about  one  hundred  versts  north  of  Kamranh. 
It  is  probably  a  wild  and  deserted  spot. 

I  am  bored  and  anxious,  and  long  to  be  home. 


CHAPTER  XI 

DELAYS   AT   VAN    FONG 

April  13th. — At  about  nine  o'clock  the  signalman 
in  an  emotional  voice  announced  that  a  warship 
was  coming  towards  us  from  the  north,  flying  the 
Russian  naval  flag  and  several  signals.  It  turned 
out  to  be  the  French  cruiser  Descartes.  She  was 
signalling  to  us,  and  hoisted  the  Russian  flag  so  that 
we  should  understand.  There  is  news  that  a  hospital- 
ship  has  arrived  at  Batavia.  It  is  said  to  be  the 
Kostroma,  which  is  with  Admiral  NebogatofFs  fleet. 
We  are  approaching  the  anchorage  of  Van  Fong. 
Some  of  the  ships  are  already  in  the  bay.  The 
French  admiral  clearly  sympathises  with  us,  and 
if  it  depended  on  him  we  might  lie  where  it  is  most 
convenient  for  us.  He  purposely  shuts  his  eyes  to 
a  great  deal.  If  he  were  not  so  disposed  towards 
us  it  would  be  awkward.     He  is  aware,  for  instance, 

where  we  have  gone  from  Kamranh,  but  pretends 

263 


264  DELAYS  AT  VAN   FONG 

that  it  is  unknown  to  him.  How  much  sometimes 
depends  on  one  man  ! 

We  are  moving  nearer  and  nearer  to  Vladivostok. 
We  have  altogether  come  28,500  versts.  There 
are  4,200  still  left.  Nearly  seven-eighths  of  our 
voyage  is  successfully  accomplished. 

All  the  ships  have  anchored.  The  Suvaroff  is 
coaling  from  a  German  steamer.  In  the  latter  some 
of  the  crew  are  Chinamen,  and  perhaps  there  are 
Japanese. 

I  forget  if  I  told  you  that  two  Japanese  were 
noticed  among  the  crew  of  the  steamer  Dagmar, 
which  brought  provisions  to  Kamranh.  How  well 
their  intelligence  service  is  organised  !  Wherever 
you  look  there  are  Japanese  spies.  There  is 
authentic  news  that  the  ice  at  Vladivostok  has 
dispersed.  Consequently,  the  Japanese  might 
undertake  naval  operations  against  it,  if  we  do  not 
interfere  in  time.  It  will  be  a  fine  impediment  if 
they  cut  off  Vladivostok  by  land,  thus  making  it  a 
second  Port  Arthur. 

Easter  will  soon  be  here,  but  it  is  not  noticed  in 
the  ship. 

They  live  and  eat  as  usual.  There  are  no  pre- 
parations— everywhere  is  dirt  and  coal. 

April    14th. — In    the    torpedo-boats    they    were 


ILLNESS  OF  ADMIRAL  FOLKERSHAM  265 

assured  that  when  we  left  Kamranh  we  were  going 
to  Vladivostok.  They  never  expected  we  should 
anchor  in  some  bay. 

A  sailor  deserted  at  Kanranh.  What  will  he  do 
there,  on  that  savage  shore  ?  Another  threw 
himself  into  the  sea  from  the  Rion,  having 
cautiously  put  on  a  life-belt.  He  was  successfully 
taken  out  of  the  water  and  put  on  board  the 
Rion.     On  what  do  these  people  count  ? 

The  shore  here  is  hilly,  and  rather  pretty.  There 
is  a  small  settlement.  Chinese  came  near  us  in 
boats.  They  sold  chickens,  ducks,  bananas,  etc. 
The  prices  are  heavy.  They  ask  more  than  a 
rouble  for  a  fowl.  They  will  not  let  a  small  pumpkin 
go  for  less  than  fifty  copecks. 

I  watched  how  the  Chinese  eat  in  the  collier. 
They  eat  very  cleverly,  with  sticks.  It  is  curious 
to  see  so  many  people  with  pigtails.  Sometimes 
they  fasten  them  up  on  their  necks,  and  some- 
times hang  them  down  their  backs. 

Admiral  Folkersham  is  still  unwell.  He  is  in 
bed.  The  stroke  was  not  so  slight  as  the  doctors 
said. 

There  are  a  lot  of  rats  in  my  cabin.  Their 
audacity  is  so  great  that  when  I  sit  at  table  they 
run  about  my  feet. 


266  DELAYS  AT  VAN   FONG 

The  Chinese  who  come  in  junks,  bringing  pro- 
visions, try  to  get  rid  of  false  three-rouble  notes 
made  by  the  Japanese. 

Several  steamers  have  refused  to  go  from  the 
south  with  freights  for  Japan.  Their  captains 
explain  that  their  crews  do  not  care  to  go  to  those 
seas  where  there  are  Russian  ships. 

They  tried  to  explain  to  the  sailors  that  they 
themselves  would  lose  nothing.  The  only  risk  was 
of  losing  the  ship.  The  persuasion  had  no  effect, 
so  they  were  taken  before  a  judge.  The  cause 
of  their  not  wishing  to  continue  to  voyage  was 
explained.  "  The  Russian  system,"  said  the  sailors, 
"is  to  fire  at  a  suspicious  ship  and  save  no  one. 
They  acted  thus  in  the  North  Sea.  We  do  not 
want  to  run  the  risk." 

Unfortunately,  we  do  not  do  so  ;  but  the  affair 
in  the  North  Sea  brought  us  one  advantage. 
Merchant  ships  do  not  come  near  our  fleet  out  of 
curiosity — they  give  way  to  us.  Now  steamers 
have  no  special  pleasure  in  carrying  contraband, 
though  they  can  procure  it  freely  from  America.  The 
Japanese  were  provided  with  coal  long  ago.  The 
coal  which  we  sent  to  Vladivostok  in  large  quantities 
was  captured  by  them. 

The  captain  of  the  Eva,  who  was  at  Vladivostok 


LOOKING  OUT  FOR  NEBOGATOFF      26/ 

a  comparatively  short  time  ago,  says  that  there  is 
no  lack  of  provisions  there.  They  want  matches. 
Perhaps  he  is  only  inventing.  He  also  says  that  he 
has  read  a  telegram  announcing  that  Nebogatoff's 
fleet  has  passed  Singapore.  If  this  is  true  we  should 
effect  a  junction  with  it  shortly. 

April  15th. — Last  night  a  rat  bit  my  foot.  I 
must  take  measures  against  them. 

At  the  wireless  station  they  are  receiving  signals. 
They  are  rather  incoherent  messages.  It  seems  as 
if  they  meant  to  say  "  Nicholas  "  (the  Nikolai  I.  is 
with  the  third  fleet).  In  any  case,  cruisers  are  being 
sent  to  look  out  for  Admiral  Nebogatoff's  fleet. 

From  the  Borodino  they  announce  that  they  are 
getting  similar  signs. 

An  officer  has  just  come  from  the  Sissoi  to  report 
that  they  have  received  a  perfectly  clear  message, 
in  which  the  Nicholas  asks  for  the  situation  of  the 
Suvaroff.  Perhaps  the  Nicholas  is  actually  sig- 
nalling. In  any  case,  it  will  soon  be  made  clear. 
If  Nebogatoff  effects  a  junction,  then,  after  his 
ships  have  had  a  chance  of  being  overhauled  and 
of  coaling,  we  shall  move  on  to  Vladivostok.  Now 
we  shall  hardly  wait  for  the  Slava  and  other  ships. 
Probably  they  have  not  yet  left  Russia. 

There  has  just  been  a  solemn  service.     O  God  ! 


268  DELAYS   AT  VAN    FONG 

what  squalor !  The  crew  and  the  choir  stood 
barefoot.  All  were  in  white.  They  tried  to  put 
on  clean  clothes,  but  they  were  all  torn.  The 
officers'  clothes  were  bad  also.  All  the  same,  the 
service  made  a  deep  impression  on  me.  It  brought 
back  to  my  mind  the  last  week  I  spent  with  you. 

This  is  the  second  Easter  I  have  spent  in  a  ship 
(the  first  in  the  A-praxin  l),  and  both  with  Rojdest- 
vensky. 

The  engineer-constructor  Kostenko,  who  was  in 
the  battleship  Orel,  was  washing  his  feet  and  some- 
how cut  his  left  foot  with  the  basin.  He  was  sent 
to  the  hospital-ship  Orel.  He  cut  his  tendon 
achilles.  The  flagship's  doctor  said  he  required 
hospital  treatment.  I  do  not  yet  know  if  his 
wound  is  dangerous.  There  were  six  engineer- 
constructors  in  the  fleet.  One  has  been  sent  to 
Russia,  and  one  will  be  in  hospital.  Thirty-three 
per  cent,  of  all  the  engineers  have,  so  to  speak, 
fallen  out  of  the  ranks.  For  whom  else  is  a  similar 
fate  in  store  ?  Poor  Kostenko  !  He  is  a  talented 
man.  It  is  not  a  year  since  he  left  school.  Perhaps 
it  is  all  for  the  best  that  he  has  gone  to  the  hospital- 

1  In  1898  the  battleship  General  Admiral  A praxin  went 
ashore  off  Gothland,  and  Politovsky  superintended  the 
work  of  getting  her  off. 


THE   ALARM   BEATEN  269 

ship  Orel.  At  all  events,  he  will  not  have  to  undergo 
the  chances  of  a  battle. 

In  order  not  to  disclose  the  position  of  the  fleet, 
we  are  forbidden  to  send  letters  and  telegrams 
from  here.  The  question  of  the  messages  from 
the  Nicholas  has  been  cleared  up.  Two  French 
ships  were  communicating  with  one  another. 

We  have  distinguished  ourselves  quite  like 
Russians.  We  came  into  the  bay  of  Van  Fong, 
anchored,  and  arranged  for  an  inspection  of  the 
entrance  to  the  bay.  The  bay  itself  was  not 
examined.  Suddenly  to-day  a  steamer  was  seen 
moving  towards  the  entrance.  "What  is  this  ?  " 
"  Where  does  she  come  from  ?  "  "  Whose 
steamer  ?  "  etc.  The  alarm  was  beaten.  It  ap- 
pears that  it  was  a  French  steamer  that  has  been 
lying  here  for  four  days.  How  this  will  please  you  ! 
It  is  true  the  bay  is  very  large,  and  there  are  many 
commodious  corners  in  it ;  but,  nevertheless,  it 
does  not  excuse  our  carelessness.  Why  should 
not  Japanese  torpedo-boats  have  hidden  themselves 
earlier,  and  attacked  the  fleet  at  night  from  the 
side  where  they  were  least  expected.  It  might 
have  happened,  and  they  would  certainly  have 
done  it  if  they  had  known  that  we  should  not  have 
examined  the  bay,  or  that  we  should  come  here. 


270  DELAYS   AT  VAN   FONG 

They  say  very  truly  that  St.  Nicholas  the  "  Casual  " 
is  protecting  us. 

The  "  Apes  "  and  the  "  Anyhows  "  are  fighting 
indeed  !  I  had  to  go  and  see  Kostenko  in  the 
hospital-ship  Orel.  I  have  been  only  on  board  her 
once  during  the  whole  voyage,  and  then  only  because 
it  was  absolutely  necessary.  I  am  not  the  only  one 
that  feels  like  that  towards  her.  All  of  us  look  on 
her  with  aversion,  and  for  some  reason  she  is  not 
popular. 

Admiral  Nebogatoff,  by  my  reckoning,  can  arrive 
on  the  19th  or  23rd.  Several  days  will  be  necessary 
for  his  ships  to  repair  defects,  before  the  voyage  to 
Vladivostok. 

April  16th. — I  went  to  the  Oleg,  had  lunch  there, 
and  stayed  till  one  o'clock.  Pity  it  was  a  Lenten 
lunch.  There  was  a  sailor  on  board  who  had  been 
a  clown.  He  trained  a  dog  and  did  several  tricks. 
The  cook's  assistant  there  has  received  the  name  of 
"  Fire  King,"  as  he  eats  burning  tow.  There  are 
many  musicians  and  actors  there.  The  Oleg  is  a 
happy  ship.    The  officers  live  in  a  very  friendly  way. 

Last  night  I  waged  war  with  the  rats  for  a  very 
long  time.  They  quite  conquered.  The  worst  of 
it  is  that  they  do  not  mind  running  over  my  bed. 
It  is  very  repulsive. 


PREPARING  FOR   EASTER  27 1 

I  am  preparing  for  Easter. 

My  servant  almost  by  force  compelled  the  washer- 
man to  wash  a  tunic  and  a  pair  of  trousers  for  me. 
My  shoes  he  has  not  been  able  to  whiten. 

I  chatted  for  a  long  time  with  the  navigator  and 
captain.  The  latter  was  seated  in  his  deck  cabin 
without  a  tunic.  He  says  it  is  nice  like  that,  but 
it  seems  strange. 

The  wardroom  are  collecting  creeping  plants  and 
green  branches  in  preparation  for  Easter.  All  the 
same,  everything  is  so  poor  and  wretched.  Somehow 
or  other  they  have  coloured  the  eggs,  though  there 
is  no  paint.  The  bakers  have  baked  the  bread  in 
the  shape  of  Easter  cakes.  There  is,  of  course,  no 
paska,1  though  there  will  be  some  at  the  admiral's 
table. 

In  all  the  Chinese  boats  there  are  eyes  painted  in 
the  bows.  This  is  done  in  order  that  the  boat  may 
see  where  it  is  going. 

Those  of  our  transports  which  went  to  Saigon 
have  been  allowed  to  take  enough  coal  to  last  them 
to  Odessa.  Of  course,  if  they  are  wise  they  will  fill 
their  holds  as  full  as  possible.  As  long  as  you  have 
permission  to  take  it,  you  can  always  gain  on  the 
amount.  Do  you  remember  in  Vigo  each  ship  was 
1  Easter  puddings. 


272  DELAYS  AT  VAN   FONG 

only  allowed  to  take  400  tons,  and  they  all  took 
more  than  800  each  ? 

To-day,  for  the  first  time  during  the  voyage,  the 
agencies'  telegrams  have  been  published  for  the 
information  of  everybody.  The  captain,  first 
lieutenant,  and  senior  officer  in  the  Irtish  are 
drinking  heavily.  They  are  nearly  always  drunk. 
Wild  scenes  take  place.  Gloom  and  dissatisfac- 
tion reign  in  that  transport.  It  might  end  very 
badly. 

Do  you  know,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  eighth  will 
be  an  important  date  for  our  fleet  ?  Perhaps  a 
fight  will  take  place  on  that  date. 

There  are  some  polite  wiseacres  who  are  sending 
their  cards  to  all  the  ships.  Could  anything  be 
sillier  at  such  a  time,  and  under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances. 

At  1145  p.m.  a  service  will  begin,  but  no  mass. 
The  Easter  scenes  in  Russia  will  rise  up  in  my 
memory. 

April  ijth. — Christos  Voskress  !  ■  I  woke  later 
than  usual.  I  am  late  for  the  hoisting  of  the 
colours.  I  have  not  yet  left  my  cabin.  Easter  is 
being  greeted.  During  the  service  half  the  officers 
and  crew  did  not  leave  the  loaded  guns.  The  church 
1  Easter  greeting,  "Christ  is  risen." 


EASTER   EGGS  AND  CAKE  273 

was  carefully  covered,  so  that  light  should  not 
penetrate  outside.     The  stuffiness  was  intolerable. 

The  service  went  off  with  much  ceremony.  All 
were  in  white.  The  altar  screen  was  white,  and  the 
priest's  vestments  also.  The  church  was  abundantly 
decorated  with  tropical  plants.  Everything  was 
covered  with  them,  and  garlands  were  suspended 
from  the  roof.  The  church  is  so  low  that  after  it 
was  arranged  and  decorated  it  looked  almost  like 
a  cave. 

We  broke  our  fast  at  supper.  The  table  was 
fairly  well  spread.  No  one  knew  in  Russia  that 
the  fleet  would  spend  Easter  in  the  bay  of  Van  Fong. 
Everything  went  on  in  the  ordinary  way.  After 
6  p.m.  coal  and  stores  were  taken  in,  and  all  go 
about  dirty. 

Do  you  remember  last  Easter  ?  It  was  also  out 
of  the  common. 

About  three  o'clock  I  went  to  the  Borodino,  and 
stayed  there  till  six.  Every  officer  in  her  received 
an  egg  and  an  Easter  cake,  and  they  sent  eggs  and 
cakes  to  the  hospital-ship  Orel.  This  was  the  only 
ship  that  did  this.  The  others  did  not  trouble 
about  their  sick.  They  promised  to  get  me  paper 
and  tobacco. 

Yesterday   a   mining   cutter  from   the  Borodino 

18 


274  DELAYS  AT  VAN    FONG 

was  on  guard  duty,  and  met  three  Chinese  boats 
with  fish.  The  cutter  examined  them.  One  of  the 
Chinamen  seemed  suspicious.  They  thought  he  was 
Japanese.  He  was  taken  into  the  cutter,  but, 
profiting  by  a  favourable  moment,  he  jumped 
into  the  water,  dived,  quickly  gained  the  shore, 
and  ran  off.  A  paper  was  found  in  the  boat. 
It  was  apparently  a  simple  permission  for  them 
to  catch  fish  at  Van  Fong,  and  was  written  in 
Chinese. 

I  have  prickly  heat.     It  is  horrible. 

In  the  evenings,  after  dinner,  I  often  go  and  sit 
on  the  forebridge.  I  was  there  to-day  and  talked 
with  the  captain.  He  was  going  about  barefooted, 
and  without  a  tunic. 

April  18th. — The  famous  Meteorological  Station 
near  Shanghai  gives  information  about  a  typhoon 
which  is  now  on  the  China  Sea.  Will  it  catch 
us  ?  Typhoons  are  very  frequent.  Their  number 
depends  on  the  time  of  the  year.  We  are  afraid 
that  our  torpedo-boats  will  not  succeed  in  reach- 
ing Vladivostok  safely,  owing  to  them.  If  we 
go  by  the  strait  of  Korea  we  shall  have  an  affair 
with  Japanese  torpedo-boats  and  submarines.  It 
would  be  a  good  thing  if  it  were  rather  rough  (like 
we  had  it  in  the  German  Ocean)  when  we  pass 


DISORDERS   TN   THE  "OREL"  275 

through  the  strait.     It  would  be  more  difficult  for 
their  submarines  and  torpedo-boats  to  attack  us. 

The  last  few  days  have  been  close  and  damp. 
My  tobacco  is  mildewed.  To  economise  in  cigarettes 
I  have  to  cut  them  in  halves. 

Yesterday  my  servant  Golovko  stole  a  bottle  of 
brandy  from  the  sideboard  in  the  wardroom,  and 
got  drunk.  He  is  no  longer  to  be  one  of  the  servants 
of  the  staff.  I  shall  have  another.  It  is  a  pity,  as 
I  was  accustomed  to  Golovko,  and  he  knew  my 
ways. 

I  smoked  a  cigarette  with  opium,  and  am  now 
inclined  to  sleep.  I  hope  Nebogatoff  and  his  fleet 
will  come  soon.  Perhaps  he  will  bring  a  mail. 
Everything  is  possible  with  us. 

April  igth. — There  is  a  telegram  that  Nebogatoff 
passed  Penang  on  the  15th,  and  not  on  the  13th. 
We  may  expect  him  here  on  the  21st. 

There  have  been  disorders  in  the  battleship  Orel 
about  a  cow.  Some  one  broke  her  leg.  They  killed 
her,  and  gave  her  meat  to  the  crew  for  dinner. 
The  crew  complained  loudly  that  they  were  fed 
with  meat  from  animals  that  had  died. 

The  admiral  himself  went  to  the  Orel  this  morn- 
ing, and  raised  thunder  and  lightning.  The  captain, 
officers,  and  crew  alike  suffered.    True,  the  crew 


276  DELAYS  AT  VAN   FONG 

of  the  Orel  are  a  bad  lot.  Among  the  sailors  are 
many  who  have  been  punished.  Do  you  remember 
I  told  you  they  were  not  sailors,  but  convicts,  in 
the  Orel.  Think  of  what  has  happened  to  this 
ship — her  sinking,  grounding,  the  attempt  to  damage 
both  engines,  etc.  The  captain  is  in  a  great  measure 
responsible  for  the  insubordination  of  the  crew.  For 
some  reason  he  looks  at  their  offences  through  his 
fingers,  and  even  reproves  the  officers  if  they  try 
to  carry  out  a  more  severe  discipline — and  not  only 
discipline,  but  plain  order. 

There  is  news  that  a  French  warship  will  arrive 
here  to-morrow.  The  following  comedy  will  be 
played  out  for  appearance'  sake.  All  the  battle- 
ships, the  Oleg,  and  the  Aurora  will  get  up  anchor 
and  go  to  sea  at  6.30  a.m.  The  transports  and  other 
ships  will  move  ahead,  as  if  they  were  preparing  to 
go.  In  reality  they  will  only  change  their  position, 
leaving  places  for  Nebogatoff's  fleet. 

Is  not  all  this  neutrality  and  international  right 
a  farce  ?  Here  we  have  been  half  a  month  close 
to  the  theatre  of  war,  in  the  waters  of  a  neutral 
power.  All  our  ships  would  have  left  Van 
Fong  if  it  had  not  been  that  we  feared  the 
typhoon. 

You  will  no  doubt  receive  this  letter  when  we 


A  REGULAR   FARCE  277 

are  at  Vladivostok.  It  will  be  a  pity  if  the  letters 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Japanese. 

I  am  picturing  to  myself  the  fight.  An  artillery 
fight  does  not  appear  to  me  to  be  so  terrible  and 
destructive  as  a  torpedo  attack.  Projectiles  could 
not  sink  a  battleship  or  cruiser,  but  a  torpedo  might 
very  easily,  if  it  hit. 

We  weighed  anchor  and  went  to  sea.  On  going 
out  of  Van  Fong  we  met  the  French  cruiser.  We 
saluted  each  other.  She  signalled  that  she  had 
some  letters  for  us,  which  she  will  hand  over  to  the 
Almaz  in  the  bay.  The  cruiser  passed  into  the  bay, 
and  our  ships  lay  close  to  her  with  engines  stopped. 
This  cruiser,  the  Guichen,  will  leave,  and  then  we 
shall  return.  It  is  a  regular  farce — and  a  farce  to 
our  advantage — that  is  played,  thanks  to  the  French 
admiral.  Were  it  not  for  him  the  French  Govern- 
ment would  have  driven  us  out,  and  there  would 
have  been  an  end  to  the  business. 

April  20th. — The  French  cruiser  left,  but  we 
passed  the  night  at  sea.  There  is  no  news  about 
Nebogatoff's  fleet.  It  is  strange.  He  ought  to 
have  passed  Singapore,  and  it  should  have  been 
known  to  us  by  now. 

The  admiral  is  convinced  that  the  Japanese  will 
try  to  sink    Nebogatoff's    ships  before  the  latter 


278  DELAYS   AT   VAN   FONG 

join  us.  Perhaps  they  will  not  succeed  in  sinking 
them,  and  only  damage  them.  They  will  then  have 
to  be  repaired,  and  the  voyage  to  Vladivostok  will 
be  put  off  for  an  indefinite  period. 

At  eleven  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  rocket  being 
discharged.  I  put  on  my  tunic  and  went  on  deck. 
Men  were  rushing  about  everywhere,  hurring  to 
the  stations  for  battle.  Shouting  the  question, 
"  One  or  two  ?  "  They  were  asking  about  the 
rockets.  "  One  "  means  the  fleet  is  to  exercise  for 
general  quarters  ;  "two"  means  the  actual  alarm, 
when  the  enemy  is  real.  There  was  one  rocket. 
We  frequently  have  general  night  alarms,  but  the 
men  are  not  yet  accustomed  to  them. 

April  21st. — We  are  entering  the  bay.  A  torpedo- 
boat  will  only  go  to-morrow  for  the  telegrams. 
That  means  that  we  can  only  then  count  on  knowing 
something  about  the  third  fleet.  For  the  dispatch 
of  letters,  evidently,  we  have  to  turn  to  the  German 
collier.  We  ourselves  can  do  nothing,  like  helpless 
children,  although  there  is  a  post-office  at  hand. 

My  servant  Golovko  is  transferred  to  another 
ship.  He  came  to  me  and  nearly  cried.  He  asked 
me  to  verify  my  things.  Of  course,  I  did  not  do 
that. 

April  22nd. — I  have  not  been  able  to  write  to  you 


TRAFFIC   IN   CHILDREN  279 

earlier  to-day.  I  have  been  visiting  ships.  I  went 
on  board  the  Irtish.  The  atmosphere  there  is 
heavy.  The  first  lieutenant  is  to  be  tried  for  some 
nonsense  with  the  captain,  by  a  special  court.  It 
is  appointed  for  the  24th  inst. 

When  I  was  in  the  Gromky  a  boat  came  to  her  in 
which  were  two  adult  Annamese  and  three  boys. 
The  boys  ranged  themselves  in  a  row,  folded  their 
hands  with  the  palms  together  (prayer  fashion), 
and  bowed  down  to  their  feet.  I  asked  what  they 
were  doing.  "  They  beg  that  we  should  buy  them," 
was  the  answer.  Perhaps  the  boys  did  not  beg  quite 
so  much,  but  the  traffic  in  children  is  beyond  doubt. 
Boys,  they  say,  are  valued  at  five  or  ten  francs, 
considerably  cheaper  than  a  pig.  There  were  some 
occasions  when  children  were  bought,  and  they  tried 
to  make  servants  of  them.  These  experiments 
nearly  always  ended  badly.  The  boys  were  spoilt, 
and  it  was  difficult  to  get  rid  of  them. 

Our  captain,  to  whom  I  related  the  affair  in  the 
torpedo-boat,  took  it  into  his  head  that  I  wanted 
to  buy  a  boy,  and  began  to  reprove  me  severely. 
With  great  difficulty  I  assured  him  that  I  did  not 
want  to  buy  any  one.  It  would  be  a  nice  thing  to 
arrive  home  with  a  ten-  or  twelve-year-old  China- 
man ! 


28o  DELAYS  AT  VAN    FONG 

A  suspicious  thing  has  occurred.  The  French 
admiral,  whom  the  captain  of  the  Bodry  saw  to- 
day, spoke  of  the  movements  and  stations  of  the 
French  men-of-war  in  great  detail,  but  not  a  word 
did  he  mention  about  the  torpedo-boats  which 
ought  to  pass  Van  Fong.  The  Donskoi,  which  was 
patrolling  with  the  Ural,  at  about  two  o'clock 
saw  two  torpedo-boats  going  north.  At  first  they 
were  without  colours,  but  afterwards  hoisted 
French.  The  Donskoi  was  satisfied,  and  did  not 
trouble  to  go  nearer  them.  The  torpedo-boats 
passed  unimpeded.  The  admiral  and  others  are 
convinced  that  they  were  Japanese. 

The  rays  of  a  searchlight  are  seen  sometimes 
from  the  side  of  the  open  sea.  It  is  evidently  from 
a  warship.  The  Donskoi  reports  that  she  sees  the 
rays,  and  that  is  all.  Whose  can  they  be  ?  If 
they  are  the  UraVs,  what  is  her  reason  for  being 
silent  ?  Taken  in  conjunction  with  the  appearance 
of  the  torpedo-boats  by  day,  these  rays  are  very 
suspicious,  even  if  it  is  the  Ural.  If  she  has  lighted 
up,  it  means  that  either  she  has  seen  or  suspected 
something  wrong.  The  whole  fleet  are  ordered  to 
increase  their  attention.  Had  the  Donskoi  gone 
nearer  to  the  torpedo-boats  which  hoisted  French 
colours,  the  affair  would  have  been  clearer.     If  they 


NO  NEWS  OF  NEBOGATOFF  28 1 

were  Japanese,  how  they  will  jeer  at  our  foolish 
confidence  !  We  saw  the  colours  and  were  satisfied. 
As  if  it  is  difficult  to  hoist  whichever  flag  you 
please  ! 

April  23rd. — To-day  is  the  Empress's  name-day. 
We  had  prayers  and  a  salute.  All  this  time  An- 
namese  boats  have  been  lying  near  our  ships.  You 
should  have  seen  how  they  fled  when  the  firing 
began. 

Gradually  everything  is  going.  I  have  begun 
to  carry  tobacco  for  rolling  cigarettes  in  old 
envelopes.  It  is  more  convenient  than  having  it 
in  a  cigar-case. 

There  is  no  news  of  Nebogatoff.  The  officers  in 
the  Aurora  have  started  a  totalisator  on  his  arrival. 

The  following  idea  is  worrying  me.  Only  vessels 
of  less  than  seventy-five  feet  in  width  can  enter 
the  Vladivostok  dock.  I  cannot  say  if  this  is  true. 
Our  new  battleships  (Suvaroff,  Alexander,  Borodino, 
and  Orel)  have  a  width  of  seventy-six  feet.  If  it 
is  so,  in  case  of  necessity  it  will  be  impossible  to 
put  them  into  dock.  For  some  reason  the  width 
and  measures  of  the  docks  are  considered  a  secret, 
and  do  not  find  a  place  in  books  of  naval  inquiry, 
so  that  no  one  remembers  the  measures.  God 
grant  that  my  fears  are  not  justified  ! 


282  DELAYS  AT  VAN   FONG 

The  duty  cruiser  patrolling  reports  that  she  sees 
three  ships  moving  together  in  one  direction.  She 
is  ordered  at  any  moment  to  go  at  full  speed. 

April  24th. — Lights  are  moving  near  the  bay. 
The  patrol  steamer  signals  some  confused  message. 
Can  these  ships  be  relied  on  ?  It  is  said  that  the 
captain  of  one  of  them  does  not  conceal  his  desire 
to  disarm.  He  does  not  conduct  himself  as  he 
should  under  the  eyes  of  the  flagship.  For  instance, 
he  is  ordered  to  patrol  three  miles  from  the  shore, 
and  he  goes  out  thirty.  Our  fleet  with  its  necessities 
appears  to  him  to  be  something  hostile.  For  some 
reason  there  exists  a  presentiment  among  many 
that  of  the  four  new  battleships  the  Alexander  III. 
will  perish  during  the  war. 

At  last  Nebogatoff  declares  himself.  A  torpedo- 
boat  which  went  to  Natrang  to-day  brought  a 
telegram  saying  that  the  third  fleet  passed 
Singapore  at  4  a.m.  on  the  22nd,  and  that  she 
would  join  us  on  the  27th.  Evidently  all  is  well 
with  it.  Where  has  it  been  lingering  a  whole 
week  ?  From  Penang  to  Singapore  is  only  a  three 
days'  journey.  It  means  we  shall  soon  leave 
here. 

Probably  my  foreboding  about  the  number  eight 
will  come  to  pass.     I  forget  if  I  told  you  that  it 


FRENCH  ADMIRAL  AS   POET  283 

seems  to   me  that  the   number  eight   will  play  a 
great  role  in  the  fate  of  our  fleet. 

The  French  admiral  (Janquieres),  who  is  so 
friendly  towards  us,  has  sent  the  admiral  some 
poetry  composed  by  himself  about  Port  Arthur 
and  Stossel. 

I  wonder  in  what  condition  the  third  fleet  will 
arrive  ?  What  news  will  it  bring  ?  Will  there  be 
any  mails,  and  of  what  date  ?  Will  it  bring  us 
tobacco,  paper,  and  cigarettes.  It  left  Russia  more 
than  four  months  after  we  did. 

When  it  started  we  were  already  at  Nosi  Be. 
We  have  had  absolutely  no  news  from  Manchuria. 
What  is  going  on  there  ? 

Janquieres,  the  French  admiral,  has  arrived  in 
the  Guichen,  and  has  proposed  that  we  should  leave 
Van  Fong.  To-morrow  we  shall  probably  go  to  the 
bay  that  was  examined  not  long  ago  by  the  Roland. 
The  Guichen  has  just  left.  There  are  many  in  her 
down  with  fever.  Owing  to  this  the  band  did  not  play. 
Thanks  to  all  the  conferences,  we  were  late  for 
dinner. 

To-morrow  the  Jemchug,  Isumrud,  Dnieper,  and 
Rion  are  going  to  meet  the  third  fleet,  in  order  to 
inform  it  of  our  whereabouts. 

When  reporting  the  approach  of  a  French  warship, 


284  DELAYS  AT  VAN   FONG 

the  captain  of  an  auxiliary  cruiser  innocently 
asked  if  he  should  examine  her.  I  am  curious 
to  know  how  he  would  examine  a  warship.  There 
are  many  similar  cases  of  sharp  wit,  and  frequently 
no  attention  is  paid  to  such  pranks.  The  more 
I  hear  of  the  personnel  and  the  morale  in 
the  Port  Arthur  fleet,  the  less  astonished  I 
am  at  its  destruction,  and  the  less  pitiable  it 
seems  to  me.  The  greatest  pity  is  the  loss  of 
the  ships. 

The  steamer  Eridan,  under  French  colours,  arrived 
from  Saigon  with  provisions  at  9.30  a.m.  I  was  not 
expecting  anything,  when  suddenly  a  sailor  came 
and  handed  me  your  letters.  Apparently  Giinsburg 
sent  them  to  Saigon  under  cover  to  his  brother 
Mess  (the  real  surname  of  the  Giinsburgs  is 
Mess). 

I  was  quite  beside  myself  with  joy.  I  am  still 
more  delighted  at  receiving  news  that  is  only  a 
month  old.  At  that  moment  the  flag  diving-officer 
came  into  my  cabin  on  business.  I  scarcely  re- 
member what  I  said  to  him. 

There  were  very  few  letters.  I  was  the  only 
one  of  the  staff  who  received  any.  To-day  is  a  red- 
letter  day  for  me.  I  sat  down  to  write  to  you,  when 
the  senior  staff-officer,  S ,  came  and  proposed 


NEWS  FROM   HOME  285 

that  I  should  take  1,000  cigarettes  off  him,  out  of 
the  4,000  he  had  received.  They  are  Russian 
cigarettes  that  M.  Mess  sent.  I  am  set  up  in  smokes 
for  a  long  time  now. 

Captain  Pollis,  who  has  recently  been  our  secret 
agent    in    Batavia,  arrived  in  the  Eridan,  and  also 

Lieutenant  M ,  who  broke  out  of  Port  Arthur 

in  a  torpedo-boat  shortly  before  its  fall.  They  will 
both  remain  in  the  fleet.  The  Eridan  leaves  to-day. 
It  will  be  nice  to  send  a  letter  by  her. 

April  25th. — After  receiving  your  letters  I  rushed 
about  the  Suvaroff,  and  decided  to  go  to  the  Boro- 
dino. When  I  arrived  there  the  captain  was  asleep. 
They  woke  him.  We  sat  down,  and  drank  tea, 
and  he  gave  me  sweets.  He  began  to  plan  how  we 
should  travel  about  Europe  together  after  the  war 
is  over.  We  sat  down  with  a  tantalus  and  chatted. 
Just  then  they  brought  him  letters  from  the  Su- 
varoff. It  was  a  pity  I  did  not  know  there  was  a 
mail  for  him.  I  might  have  brought  it  with 
me. 

It  so  happened  that  fate  gladdened  only  two 
officers  with  news  from  home.  In  the  Suvaroff  I 
was  the  only  happy  one.  To-day  was  a  holiday 
for  me  indeed. 

At  six  o'clock  I  went  back  to  the  Suvaroff  in  the 


286  DELAYS  AT  VAN    FONG 

Borodino's  mining  cutter,  and  to  my  horror  found 
that  the  mail  had  already  been  sent  to  the  Eridan. 
I  stuck  a  5-franc  stamp  on  to  my  letter.  Other 
people  gave  me  some  of  theirs,  and  I  made  up  a 
large  packet,  addressing  it  to  M.  Mess.  I  then  sent 
it  by  boat  to  the  Eridan,  which  might  at  any 
moment  get  up  anchor  and  go  to  Saigon. 

The  Annamese  are  queer  people.  They  value 
brass  and  silver  buttons  at  more  than  five  francs 
each.  The  crew,  of  course,  profit  by  this,  settle 
their  accounts  with  buttons,  and  trade  in  them 
also. 

The  third  fleet  has  not  yet  arrived,  but  letters 
have  been  received  for  it  via  Giinsburg.  There 
will  be  a  mail  in  it  for  us.  I  count  on  receiving 
thirty-three  letters  from  you. 

Do  you  remember  I  told  you  I  was  afraid  that 
Giinsburg's  steamer  Regina  would  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  Japanese.  It  seems  that  she  was 
wrecked  in  the  Mozambique  Channel. 

April  26th. — We  did  not  weigh  anchor  in  time 
to-day.  The  French  cruiser  came  again  to  drive 
us  out. 

A  message  has  been  received  from  the  Vladimir 
Monomach,  which  is  ahead  of  Nebogatoff's  fleet, 
that    they    are    coming    in    complete,    array.     We 


NEBOGATOFF  IN   SIGHT  287 

shall  soon  be  joined  by  them.  I  am  curious  to 
know  what  sort  of  a  fleet  it  is,  what  its  morale  is 
like,  and  what  sort  of  captains.  Many  of  them 
are  laughed  at.  They  are  famous  for  their  war 
service  ;  but  war  changes  men,  and  good  ones  are 
sometimes  found  among  the  bad,  and  vice  versa. 

2  p.m. — The  smoke,  masts,  and  funnels  of  Ne- 
bogatoff's  fleet  have  appeared.  Every  one  is  in  a 
great  state  of  excitement,  and  rushes  to  the  bridge. 
Binoculars  are  brought  up  on  deck.  At  last  we 
shall  proceed.     There  is  no  need  to  wait  longer. 

When  the  signalling  began,  we  asked  the  Mono- 
tnach  the  name  of  her  first  lieutenant,  to  make 
certain  that  she  was  not  a  Japanese  ship.  She 
replied,  and  asked  the  Suvaroff  the  same  question. 

The  Dnieper,  it  appears,  saw  the  third  fleet  last 
night  ;  but  fearing  that  it  was  the  Japanese,  hastily 
retreated.  She  was  sent  in  order  to  join  herself 
to  Nebogatoff.  I  am  going  on  the  bridge.  The 
fleets  are  just  joining.  They  are  nearing  each 
other.     They  are  beginning  to  salute. 

10  p.m. — O  Lord,  I  do  not  know  how  to  begin  ! 
My  head  is  completely  silly.  I  do  not  know  what 
to  say.  I  am  happy,  satisfied,  glad.  I  want  to 
tell  you  everything,  and  am  afraid  shall  not  succeed. 
I  shall  get  confused  and  forget. 


288  DELAYS  AT  VAN    FONG 

As  Nebogatoff's  fleet  approached  we  all  crowded 
on  deck.  I  put  on  my  new  cap  for  the  great  oc- 
casion. 

First  came  the  Apraxin.  Could  I  have  thought 
when  I  was  working  in  her  five  years  ago  that  I 
should  see  her  here  !  How  strange  the  Apraxin, 
U  shako  ff,  and  Seniavin  seemed  !  So  short,  and 
such  long  funnels  !  They  reminded  me  of  over- 
grown children  with  angular  limbs. 

At  four  o'clock  Nebogatoff  came  on  board  the 
Suvaroff.  He  greeted  Rojdestvensky  with  a  kiss. 
The  staff  were  invited  to  drink  champagne  to  the 
happy  union  of  the  fleets.  At  table  Nebogatoff 
spoke  of  his  voyage  and  its  success.  His  ships 
steamed  ideally,  without  breakdowns.  At  night 
his  fleet  steamed  without  lights.  Every  one  was 
informed  about  his  arrival  at  Penang.  His  passage 
through  the  straits  of  Malacca  took  him  two  days 
and  a  half. 

They  brought  a  mail  in  the  cutter  which  brought 
Nebogatoff  from  the  Nicolai  I.  to  the  Suvaroff. 
Though  it  is  not  customary  to  get  up  from  the 
admiral's  table,  I  could  not  sit  there  long,  and  left 
to  examine  the  mail.    It  was  already  sorted  in  heaps. 

My  mail  had  been  taken  to  my  cabin.  I  ran 
there,   and    did    not  know  which   to   open  first — 


OPENING  PARCELS  289 

the  letters  or  parcels.  I  opened  the  parcels.  There 
were  socks,  handkerchiefs,  shoulder-straps,  sweets, 
cigarettes,  soap,  eau-de-Cologne,  scents,  brushes, 
etc.  My  eyes  opened  wide.  My  servant  helped 
me  to  sort  and  wipe  everything.  It  was  all  stuck 
together.  How  joyfully  I  separated  all  this  !  In- 
deed, I  cannot  say  all  I  feel  at  present.  I  must 
calm  myself. 

The  eau-de-Cologne  and  scents  have  travelled 
well.  The  jam,  although  it  was  soldered  up, 
leaked.  The  cigarettes  are  a  little  spoilt,  but  they 
can  be  smoked.  Newspapers  I  could  not  read. 
I  only  read  the  parts  marked  by  you. 

I  am  writing  in  broken  sentences.  Perhaps 
to-morrow  I  shall  have  to  send  this  letter  ;  now  my 
head  is  in  a  whirl. 

April  2jth. — Perhaps  the  Kostroma,  which  has 
not  joined  the  fleet  yet,  will  bring  another  mail. 
You  see  how  spoilt  I  am.  My  head  is  stupid 
to-day,  but  I  am  so  pleased  and  happy  at  having 
received  all  you  sent  me. 

I  wanted  to  write  to  you,  when  two  torpedo- 
boats  collided — the  Grosny  and  Bezuprechny. 
They  must  be  quickly  repaired.  We  are  at 
sea,  and  the  torpedo-boats  are  in  harbour  thirty 
versts  away. 

19 


290  DELAYS  AT  VAN   FONG 

4  p.m. — I  sat  a  long  time  in  the  whaler,  waiting 
an  opportunity  to  go  to  the  Buistry.  She  took 
me  to  Port  Dayot  Bay,  where  some  of  the  fleet  are 
lying.     I  go  back  to  the  Suvaroff  at  dawn. 

The  fleet  in  general  received  few  mails.  Every 
one  is  complaining,  but  I  am  satisfied.  I  saw  an 
officer  in  a  torpedo-boat  washing  a  tunic  for  himself. 
It  was  a  strange  sight. 

April  28th. — My  work  in  the  Bezuprechny  was 
successfully  carried  out.  I  returned  to  the  fleet  in 
the  torpedo-boat  Bodry.  We  met  the  fleet  return- 
ing to  Van  Fong  Bay  to  coal,  as  the  open  sea  was 
rough. 

We  leave  here  to-morrow  morning.  The  French 
sternly  drive  us  away,  but  we  stay  on.  It  is  im- 
pertinence. Port  Dayot  is  really  the  same  as  Van 
Fong,  as  it  is  a  gulf  joined  to  it  by  a  wide  strait. 
It  is  very  beautiful.  The  shores  are  hilly  and 
covered  with  thick  wood.  In  the  corner  of  the 
bay  lies  a  wrecked  French  gunboat,  which  is  being 
dismantled.  There  are  a  lot  of  goats,  peacocks, 
monkeys,  elephants,  and  wild  beasts  on  shore. 

Yesterday  I  dined  in  the  Bezuprechny.  The 
night  was  calm.  They  brought  officers  over  from 
the  neighbouring  boats.  They  all  live  in  a  very 
friendly  way.     It  is  their  custom  to  give  each  other 


POISONOUS  GASES  29 1 

presents  on  their  names-days  and  birthdays. 
Sometimes  the  presents  are  very  curious  ones. 

They  invited  me  to  spend  the  night,  but  I  refused. 
I  went  to  the  Kamchatka.  A  cabin  was  ready  for 
me  there,  but  I  preferred  spending  the  night  half- 
sitting  in  a  long  chair,  in  the  fresh  air  on  deck. 
At  six  o'clock  a  torpedo-boat  came  for  me.  In  the 
Kamchatka  they  begged  me  to  take  several  things 
to  the  Suvaroff.     I  did  not  do  so. 

Yesterday,  in  the  hospital-ship  Orel,  the  crew 
were  sent  into  the  hold  for  something.  There  were 
poisonous  gases,  and  they  began  to  suffocate.  All  ex- 
cept one    scaped.     The  deceased  was  buried  to-day. 

The  shoulder-straps  you  sent  me  are  not  uniform. 
They  are  an  ensign's.  I  made  a  present  of  them 
to  an  engineer,  Krimer.  He  was  so  pleased  that 
he  treated  the  wardroom  to  champagne.  I  did 
not  like  to  give  them  away,  but  persuaded  myself 
that  I  must  not  be  a  dog  in  the  manger. 

I  treated  some  of  the  others  to  the  almond  cake. 
It  smells  somewhat  strange,  and  some  insects  like 
beetles  have  established  themselves  in  it. 

We  move  on  to  Vladivostok  the  day  after  to- 
morrow. Many  fear  danger.  After  your  letters  I 
feel  bold,  and  look  to  the  future  with  hope.  There 
is  an  idea  that  the  Japanese  fleet  will  not  fight  a 


292  DELAYS   AT    VAN   FONG 

fleet  action  until  we  arrive  off  Vladivostok.  They 
will  feign  torpedo  attacks,  while  in  the  meantime 
they  will  cut  us  off  by  land.  Who  can  foretell  the 
events  ? 

For  God's  sake  do  not  be  anxious  at  not  receiving 
letters  or  telegrams  for  a  very  long  time.  We  are 
passing  along  uninhabited  shores.  Letters  will  be 
sent  as  occasions  offer.  Our  postal  arrangements 
are  bad.  Some  of  your  letters  to  me  are  lost,  and 
some  of  your  October  letters  I  have  only  just 
received. 

April  29th. — We  went  to  sea  early  this  morning. 
A  steamer  passed  close  to  the  fleet,  making  an 
attempt  to  escape.  Our  torpedo-boats  and  scouting 
cruiser  overtook  her.  She  hoisted  English  colours. 
We  only  questioned,  and  did  not  examine  her.  She 
said  she  was  going  from  Japan  to  the  south,  carrying 
coolies.     We  let  her  go. 

We  remain  tossing  on  the  sea.  We  shall  leave 
here  either  to-morrow  evening  or  day  after.  It  is 
said  that  the  hospital-ship  will  not  join  the  fleet  at 
all.  Do  you  know,  the  number  of  ships  in  the  fleet 
is  now  fifty-two  ?  Some  of  the  transports  are  at 
Saigon,   or  it  would  have  been  greater  still. 

April  30//&. — The  Kostroma  has  come,  with  a  mail, 
it  seems. 


CHAPTER   XII 

PREPARING   FOR   BATTLE 

May  ist. — The  Kostroma  called  at  Saigon  and 
brought  a  mail. 

The  last  letter  I  received  was  dated  March  28th. 
It  is  quick.  And  all  because  Giinsburg  sent  it  on. 
All  the  ships  have  received  an  enormous  mail.  They 
were  a  long  time  sorting  it. 

To-day,  May  ist,  we  left  Port  Dayot  for  Vladi- 
vostok. We  go  by  the  South  China  Sea.  Our  fleet 
now  consists  of  fifty  ships.  Of  these,  nine  are 
torpedo-boats,  and  two  hospital-ships — a  great 
armada.  Probably  we  shall  go  round  Formosa, 
and  through  the  straits  of  Korea.  There  will  hardly 
be  a  fleet  action  before  Vladivostok.  We  must 
expect  submarine  boats  and  frantic  torpedo-boat 
attacks. 

May  2nd. — Our  course  is  so  laid  that  when  we 

have  passed  the  southern  extremity  of  Formosa  we 

shall  go  to  the  east  of  it. 

393 


294  PREPARING  FOR   BATTLE 

At  night  we  crossed  the  only  course  by  which 
ships  usually  go  from  north  to  south.  We  met  two 
steamers.  They  will  report  the  course  chosen  by 
the  fleet.  Now  we  are  moving  in  a  part  of  the 
China  Sea  by  which  ships  do  not  usually  go.  They 
are  beginning  to  talk  about  coaling.  They  wish  to 
arrange  it  to-morrow  morning.  The  torpedo-boats 
are  being  towed  by  the  transports.  Meanwhile, 
there  are  no  mishaps  or  breakdowns. 

9  p.m. — The  battleship  Orel  has  delayed  us  for  a 
short  time.  Something  was  damaged  in  her.  Our 
course  is  shaped  between  Formosa  and  Luzon,  one 
of  the  Philippine  Islands.  It  is  exactly  seven  months 
to-day  since  the  fleet  left  Russia. 

The  sea  is  almost  calm,  and  the  ports  can  be 
kept  open  without  danger.  Hiding  the  lights,  we 
are  steaming  with  only  a  limited  number.  A 
collision  would  be  difficult,  as  it  is  a  bright, 
moonlight  night.  At  present  everything  is  going 
quietly.  I  rose  to-day  at  nearly  9  a.m.,  was  late 
for  breakfast,  and  had  to  have  it  alone  in  my 
cabin. 

May  4th. — To-morrow  we  coal — probably  the 
last  coaling  at  sea. 

It  is  proposed  that  when  the  coal  from  the  Tamboff 
and  Mercury  has  been  taken,  they  shall  leave  the 


NEARING  FORMOSA  295 

fleet  and  return  to  Saigon.  It  will  be  possible  to 
send  letters  by  them. 

Near  Shanghai  the  remaining  transports  will  leave 
us.  Only  the  naval  ones  will  remain  (Kamchatka, 
Irtish,  and  Anadir),  and  the  Korea,  in  which  are 
war  stores.  If  this  is  carried  out,  the  admiral 
himself  will  seek  a  fleet  action  with  the  Japanese 
fleet  before  our  arrival  at  Vladivostok. 

10  p.m. — They  are  receiving  signs  at  the  telegraph 
(wireless)  station.  No  one  attaches  any  importance 
to  them.  In  the  ship  it  is  surprisingly  quiet.  They 
were  more  perturbed  when  the  English  cruisers 
surrounded  us  in  the  Atlantic.  I  am  quite  composed 
and  do  not  worry. 

Gulls  are  seen  ;  the  shore  is  not  far  off.  The 
moon  is  shining,  and  it  is  as  bright  as  day.  By 
such  light  it  will  be  difficult  for  torpedo-boats  to 
attack,  but  convenient  for  submarines.  The  sea  is 
calm. 

Soon  it  will  not  be  so  hot.  To-morrow  the  sun 
will  be  at  its  zenith — for  us,  the  sixth  and  last 
time. 

Formosa  is  near.  All  are  interested  in  it.  With 
luck  we  shall  be  at  Vladivostok  in  twelve  or  fifteen 
days. 

All  my  preparations  for  battle  consist  in  putting 


296  PREPARING   FOR   BATTLE 

my  things  in  order.  Coaling  will  begin  at  6  a.m., 
if  the  weather  permits. 

At  Port  Dayot,  not  only  did  the  transport 
Gustave  Lerche,  and  the  water-tank  steamer  Count 
Stroganoff,  leave  the  fleet,  but  also  the  transport 
Keenia. 

The  latter  is  a  floating  workshop.  Was  it  worth 
while  bringing  her  here  ?  She  has  little  speed, 
and  the  workmen  say  is  badly  fitted  out.  I 
have  not  been  there.  It  so  happens  that  I  have 
not  been  on  board  any  of  the  ships  that  came 
with  Nebogatoff. 

May  $th  (8  a.m.). — The  fleet  is  coaling.  The  sea 
is  calm,  but  the  swell  is  so  great  that  the  battleships 
are  rolling.  It  is  hot.  Very  soon  it  will  be  cold. 
How  shall  we  stand  it  after  the  tropics  ?  There 
will  be  a  large  number  of  sick. 

May  6th. — South  China  Sea. 

Yesterday  the  Tamboff  and  Mercury  went  to 
Saigon.  The  mail  was  given  to  the  latter.  When 
the  coaling  was  finished,  the  fleet  went  on  full  speed 
ahead.  In  the  evening  I  drew  the  disposition  of 
all  ships  for  a  lithographic  stone,  in  the  event  of 
floating  mines  being  observed. 

It  is  proposed  to  send  the  Rion,  Dnieper,  Kuban, 
and  Terek  one  after  another  for  cruiser  operations. 


CHASING   A  STEAMER  297 

They  decided  not  to  send  the  Ural,  as  they  do  not 
trust  her.  It  was  her  captain  who  openly  boasted 
about  disarming. 

Last  night  I  sat  on  the  after-bridge,  and  waited 
the  result  of  the  Oleg's  chase  after  a  steamer. 
After  conversing  with  those  around  I  fell  asleep. 
At  one  o'clock  I  woke,  and  went  to  sleep  in  my 
cabin.  It  would  have  been  worth  while  waiting  a 
little  longer. 

At  two  o'clock  the  Oleg  reported  that,  on  exa- 
mination, it  proved  that  the  steamer,  as  the  captain 
explained,  had  no  documents.  He  himself  did  not 
know  all  her  cargo.  There  was  kerosene.  She  was 
going  to  Japan  from  New  York.  The  heavily  laden 
steamer  was  ordered  to  be  brought  to  the  fleet, 
was  arrested  as  suspicious,  and  sent  to  Vladivostock 
for  examination  by  the  prize  court.  A  crew  of  our 
men  and  petty  officers  were  placed  on  board.  One 
of  them  from  the  Suvaroff  was  appointed  captain. 
The  former  captain  and  engineer  were  left  in  the 
steamer  as  passengers — of  course,  without  any 
authority.  The  rest  of  the  crew  were  brought  to 
our  ships. 

On  being  questioned,  they  gave  different  evi- 
dence. Several  sailors  affirmed  that  there  were 
guns    and    ammunition    among    the    cargo.      One 


298  PREPARING  FOR  BATTLE 

sailor,  at  the  very  beginning,  when  he  was  out  of 
his  captain's  sight,  showed  with  his  hands  that 
there  was  something  round  in  the  steamer. 

It  was  difficult  to  find  out  where  the  steamer 
came  from.  They  all  named  different  ports.  The 
steamer  {Oldhamia)  will  go  with  our  crew  to  Vladi- 
vostok, via  the  Sungari  Straits.  Is  this  a  good 
thing  ?  The  Japanese  may  chance  upon  her  on 
her  way.  Would  it  not  have  been  simpler  to  make 
certain  that  she  carries  contraband,  take  her  crew 
from  her,  and  sink  her  ?  Her  capture  wasted  a  lot 
of  time.  All  the  fleet  lay  motionless  until  twelve 
noon.  She  was  provisioned,  coaled,  and  the  crew 
transferred,  etc.  She  had  very  little  coal,  not 
enough  to  get  her  to  Vladivostok.  They  began  to 
coal  her  from  the  Livonia,  a  transport  which  came 
with  Nebogatoff. 

From  twelve  noon  we  went  at  a  slow  place — 
twelve  knots.  The  Livonia  is  going  alongside  the 
captured  steamer,  to  which  she  is  made  fast,  and  is 
coaling  her. 

How  we  love  to  make  a  secret  of  everything — 
not  unfrequently  to  our  disadvantage  !  Our  staff 
have  telegrams  giving  the  names  of  the  steamers 
going  to  Japan  with  contraband  goods.  These 
telegrams    were    needed    to-day    to    see    if    the 


CONTRABAND  299 

captured  vessel  was  not  among  the  ships  indicated. 
The  telegrams  proved  to  be  confidential,  and  had 
been  placed  in  a  safe,  which  was  hidden  in  the  event 
of  a  fight. 

What  is  the  use  of  telling  us  at  all,  if  we,  consider- 
ing it  confidential,  do  not  make  use  of  our  evidence  ? 
It  is  astonishing  !  They  should  have  published  the 
names  of  steamers  with  contraband  throughout  the 
fleet,  in  order  that  each  ship  should  know  about 
them.  But  with  us  this  is  a  "  great  secret."  It 
is  simply  inconceivable.  To  conceal  the  names 
of  steamers  serving  in  the  interest  of  Russia  is 
sensible,  but  to  hide  from  our  own  people  the  names 
of  the  friends  of  Japan  is  simply  folly.  It  is 
always  and  everywhere  thus  with  us. 

When  they  were  busied  with  the  Oldhamia  in 
the  morning,  two  more  steamers  were  perceived, 
one  laden  and  the  other  empty.  One  of  them 
was  conducted  to  the  fleet  by  the  Jemchug.  Of 
course,  it  was  the  empty  one.  She  was  under 
Norwegian  colours,  belonged  to  Bergen ;  her  name 
was  Oscar  II.  She  went  off  to  Japan.  She  had 
already  served  Japan  for  two  years  (some 
company).  We  let  her  go.  She  audaciously  cut 
through  the  line  of  our  ships.  Perhaps  she  was 
purposely  sent  by  Japan  as  a  scout.     She  can  now 


300  PREPARING   FOR   BATTLE 

inform  them  where  she  saw  us.  She  may  have 
taken  some  photographs,  and  counted  the  ships. 
Even  if  she  has  not  been  sent  purposely,  she  will 
nevertheless  make  known  our  position. 

We  have  lost  and  wasted  much  time.  This 
loss  does  not  pay.  We  are  wasting  the  bright, 
moonlight  nights. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  Emperor's  birthday  a 
salute  was  fired,  and  there  were  prayers. 

Sorting  out  my  books,  I  found  a  clean  notebook 
and  copy-book.  They  came  at  an  opportune 
moment,  as  I  had  finished  the  last. 

7  p.m. — They  are  beginning  to  swear  at  having 
let  the  Oscar  go  without  examining  her. 

The  weather  is  beginning  to  be  doubtful.  Perhaps 
there  will  be  a  typhoon.  The  fleet  will  suffer  severely. 

They  have  just  published  a  list  of  vessels  which 
are  known  to  be  carrying  contraband  to  Japan. 
Of  course,  the  list  only  contains  a  portion  of  them. 
What  have  they  not  in  them !  Horses,  guns, 
projectiles,  powder,  gun-cotton,  explosives,  blankets, 
milk,  rails,  engines,  cables,  iron,  steel,  copper,  armour 
plates,  conserves,  rifles,  grenades,  shrapnel,  wire, 
steam  cutters,  railway  material.  One  steamer  is 
specially  fitted  for  raising  our  ships  sunk  at  Port 
Arthur  ! 


THIS  COALING  BACCHANALIA  !  301 

May  yth. — Pacific  Ocean. 

The  fleet  is  in  the  Pacific.  For  some  reason  it 
is  also  called  the  "  Great."  We  passed  by  the 
islands  of  the  Batan  (sic)  group.  They  say  there 
are  volcanoes  there.  I  did  not  see  them  from 
the  ship. 

The  motion  of  the  sea  interfered  with  the  coaling 
of  the  captured  steamer.  If  the  coal  does  not  last 
her  to  Vladivostok,  she  is  ordered  to  call  at  Korsa- 
kovsky  port  (in  Sagalien).  There  are  still  two 
hundred  of  our  men,  who  were  coaling,  on  board  her. 
Owing  to  the  motion  they  could  not  be  taken  off. 
They  will  try  to  take  them  off  to-morrow. 

There  are  about  2,800  versts  left  to  Vladivostok. 

Yesterday  I  began  to  prepare  for  battle.  My 
preparations  were  very  simple.  I  opened  a  trunk, 
and  without  more  ado  thrust  in  everything — ikons, 
letters,  and  photographs  of  you. 

May  8th. — To-morrow  we  are  again  to  coal  at 
sea.  Will  there  soon  be  an  end  of  this  coaling 
bacchanalia  ?  To-day  we  pass  the  Tropic  of  Cancer, 
and  leave  the  tropics. 

When  I  slept  last  night  the  rats  began  to  gnaw 
my  toes.  I  am  heartily  tired  of  this  kind  of  life, 
with  its  dirt  and  hardships.  The  Oldhamia  has 
left  the  fleet,  and  will  go  alone  to  Vladivostok  or 


302  PREPARING  FOR   BATTLE 

Korsakovsky  port,  or  even  to  Petropavlovsk,  if 
fogs  interfere.  The  Kuban  was  left  by  her,  to  give 
her  a  hundred  tons  of  coal,  if  it  is  possible.  The 
Oldhamia  will  then  go  on  shore,  and  the  Kuban 
will   cruise   about   to   capture   contraband. 

The  Oldhamia  is  a  new  ship  ;  her  construction 
was  only  finished  last  year.  She  was  occupied  earlier 
with  contraband.  She  took  something  for  Japan 
to  Dalny,  and  for  the  Russians  to  Vladivostok. 

At  first  the  captain  of  the  Oldhamia  behaved  in 
a  very  off-hand  manner.  He  jeered  at  us,  and 
praised  the  Japanese.  He  did  not  expect  we  would 
take  him  from  his  steamer.  When  it  was  explained 
that  he  would  be  taken,  he  sang  another  tune,  and 
even  cried  on  leaving  her. 

The  English  who  remained  succeeded  in  playing 
a  dirty  trick.  They  opened  the  Kingstons  in  the 
engine-room,  and  the  steamer  began  to  sink.  Our 
crew  quickly  found  the  open  Kingston,  and  closed 
it.  They  also  tore  off  the  marks  of  the  stocks 
showing  where  each  stock  goes.  Our  men  had  to 
find  out.  Yesterday,  when  our  crew  were  at  the 
boilers,  there  was  nearly  an  explosion.  An  engineer 
averted  the  accident.  Of  course,  the  English  would 
not  have  succeeded  in  opening  the  Kingston  or  tearing 
off  the  instructions  had  it  not  been  for  our  folly. 


ENTERING  THE   NORTH   CHINA  SEA  303 

It  is  clear  as  day  that  the  English  should  have  been 
followed  about,  and  not  allowed  for  one  moment  either 
in  the  engine  or  boiler  compartments.  Up  to  the 
present  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  contra- 
band. All  the  holds  where  forbidden  cargo  might  lie 
are  encumbered  with  a  vast  quantity  of  tins  of  kero- 
sene.    All  the  tins  must  be  taken  out  to  get  below. 

9  p.m. — About  noon  the  Jemchug  reported  that 
she  could  see  a  balloon  above  her.  Other  ships 
also  saw  it.  Those  who  saw  it  in  the  Suvaroff  say 
it  was  like  a  snake  in  shape. 

We  are  going  past  Formosa.  There  is  no  sight 
or  sound  of  the  Japanese. 

May  gth. — Coaling  did  not  take  place.  The 
weather  was  rather  rough.  I  slept  in  the  upper 
stern  cabin. 

The  Terek  has  left  the  fleet,  on  a  cruise  to  catch 
steamers. 

The  weather  is  gloomy.  It  is  not  so  hot.  Several 
men  have  already  caught  colds.  Admiral  Folker- 
sham's  health  is  bad.  He  will  probably  not  reach 
Vladivostok  alive. 

9  p.m. — North  China  Sea. 

We  have  left  the  Pacific  and  entered  the  North 
China  Sea.  We  are  going  in  the  direction  of 
Shanghai,   where   our  transports  were  sent.     It  is 


304  PREPARING   FOR   BATTLE 

impossible  to  let  them  go  alone,  now.  There  are 
Japanese  ships  at  Shanghai,  watching  that  our 
disarmed  ships  do  not  escape. 

We  passed  by  Formosa — passed  by  part  of  the 
small  Japanese  islands.  Vladivostok  is  getting 
nearer  and  nearer.  We  have  only  to  cross  the  North 
China  Sea  and  the  straits  of  Korea  to  enter  the 
sea  of  Japan,  on  the  shores  of  which  is  the  long- 
desired  Vladivostok.  What  are  the  Japanese 
doing  ?  Where  are  they  ?  No  doubt  preparing  a 
hearty  welcome  for  us. 

There  will  probably  be  frantic  torpedo  attacks 
in  the  straits  of  Korea.  The  moon  rises  late  and 
makes  the  night  attacks  easier.  Will  there  be  a 
fleet  action  ?  Probably  it  will  be  more  advantageous 
for  Japan  to  give  battle  on  arrival  at  Vladivostok. 
Our  fleet  has  made  a  great  voyage  and  is  bound 
to  protect  the  transports.  Probably  Japanese 
mines  have  been  placed  at  Vladivostok. 

In  seven  days  the  whole  world  will  be  talking 
about  our  fleet.  After  sunset  the  crew  are  ordered 
to  put  on  flannel  jerseys.  It  is  proposed  to-morrow 
to  carry  out  the  coaling,  which  did  not  take  place 
to-day. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  possible  to  send  letters  to  one 
of  the  transports  going  to  Shanghai. 


LAST   LETTERS   FOR   HOME  305 

There  is  apparently  an  opportunity  of  sending  a 
mail,  but  no  one  evidently  is  preparing  to  take 
advantage  of  it. 

May  10th. — North  China  Sea. 

The  weather  is  gloomy,  but  calm,  and  rather 
cold. 

The  captain  of  the  Irtish  reports  that  she  cannot 
go  more  than  eight  and  a  half  knots.  What  can 
be  done  now  with  that  transport  ?  If  she  goes  to 
Shanghai,  she  will  have  to  disarm  and  be  inactive 
till  the  end  of  the  war,  as  she  is  under  the  naval 
flag.  If  she  is  taken  with  the  fleet,  she  will  be  an 
extra  burden. 

I  have  to  send  off  these  pages  myself.  I  can 
find  no  one  wishing  to  send  letters  home.  They 
say  they  will  send  them  from  Vladivostok.  In  the 
first  place,  will  they  be  able  to  send  them  from 
Vladivostok  ;  and  secondly,  it  is  uncertain  if  they  get 
there  any  quicker.  There  are  1,200  miles,  2,100 
versts,  left  to  Vladivostok.  Under  favourable  cir- 
cumstances we  shall  make  this  passage  in  six  or 
seven  days. 


20 


NOTE  BY  MADAME  POLITOVSKY 

These  were  the  last  pages  which  were  sent  from 
Shanghai,  and  received  by  me  (his  wife)  in  the 
month  of  June. 

During  the  battle  Engineer  E.  S.  Politovsky 
was  below,  as  the  battleship  Kniaz  Suvaroff  had  had 
a  hole  made  in  her,  and  he  was  probably  giving 
instructions  for  its  repair.  The  flag-captain  saw 
him  last  in  the  sick-bay.  "  How  are  things  going  ?  " 
asked  Politovsky.  "  Very  badly,"  answered  the 
flag-captain.  Soon  after  this  some  of  the  staff  left 
the  battleship  in  the  torpedo-boat  Biedovy.  Those 
who  were  below  were  not  called.  There  was  no 
need  of  them.  They  saved  the  "  valuable  "  life 
of  Admiral  Rojdestvensky. 


306 


APPENDIX 

Telegram     from    Tokio,    dated    May    30th,     to 
Japanese  Legation  (vide  Times,  June  1st,  1906). 

The  official  statement  of  the  Russian  losses  in  the 
battle  were  as  follows,  so  far  as  ascertained  : 

Prince  Suvaroff    Sissoi  Veliky\ 

Alexander  III.      Oslyabya        J-  Battleships  sunk. 

Borodino  Navarin         J 

A  dmiral  Nachimoff     Vladimir  Monomach )  Cruisers 
Dimitry  Donskoi        Svietlana  )   sunk. 

Ushakoff,  coast  defence    Irtish  )  _     , 

y Sunk. 
Kamchatka,  repair  ship     Three  torpedo-boats ) 

Orel,  battleship     General  Admiral  Apr  axin\ 

Nicolai  I.    „       Admiral  Seniavin  J-Captured. 

Biedovy,  torpedo-boat  J 

The  Almaz  reached  Vladivostok;  the  Oleg,  Aurora, 
and  Jemchug  fled  to  Manilla  ;  the  Isumrud  also 
escaped,  and  some  torpedo-boats. 

307 


PRINTED  BY 

HAZELL,   WATSON    AND   VINEY,   LD. 

LONDON   AND  AYLESBURY. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIB*A*V^^88 

405  Hllaard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024  i*» 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed 

r~.      -  ~" 

ij    3  WEEKS  USE 

C    APR  2  0  1998 
R 


